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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29944518">Mono + Six Afterstory || Little Nightmares II</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pineapple_Fanta/pseuds/Pineapple_Fanta'>Pineapple_Fanta</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Little Nightmares (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aftermath, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Animalistic, Eating Disorders, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Relationships, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Little Nightmares II Spoilers, No Smut, Other, Psychic, Psychic Abilities, Romance, Soul Bond, Starvation, Supernatural Elements, Superpowers, Unresolved Emotional Tension, What-If</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 00:00:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>28,661</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29944518</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pineapple_Fanta/pseuds/Pineapple_Fanta</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>If Six hadn't betrayed Mono in the end (true ending)...</p><p>Trigger warnings:<br/>Starvation<br/>Hostile speaking</p><p>This is mostly platonic with a hint of romance (but obviously very innocent kind of love)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Mono &amp; Six (Little Nightmares), Mono (Little Nightmares) &amp; Everyone, Mono/Six (Little Nightmares), Six &amp; Everyone</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>163</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>There might be plenty of fanart but I am still pissed at the ending and therefore will be writing this to make myself and others happy.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     Mono was on the verge of slipping out of his friend's grasp. He looked down out of fear and then looked back up into Six's eyes, as if questioning her: 'what's taking so long?'</p><p>     He noticed then...something changed inside of her. Her expression was resentful, maybe even vengeful. But even despite this tension, after shaking her head and grumbling in rage, she pulled him up, causing him to stumble atop her for a moment.</p><p>     He didn't have much emotion on his face, but when he stood up, he didn't hesitate to hold his hand out to her. Upon grabbing it hesitantly, she stood up and dragged Mono behind her to the portal. They walked in this strange void to get back out into the real world, where they lay on their backs exhaustedly on the wooden floor.</p><p>     Mono lifted himself up to check on Six, who mirrored his exact posture. She was hiding her face. "What's wrong?" He called out to her with a gentle voice, and she slowly tilted her head to make eye contact with him.</p><p> </p><p>     "I wanted to drop you. So bad." After speaking her mind, she turned away again and stood up carefully, dusting herself off.</p><p> </p><p>     "Why? Did I do something wrong? I've done nothing but try and protect you this whole time, you know?" Mono felt frustrated. Six's honesty was considerate, but the words that left her mouth had him feeling sick to his stomach. He could have died or been stuck in that signal tower forever if she hadn't saved him. He thought they were friends, but maybe he was just being delusional.</p><p> </p><p>     "Because!" Six raised her voice and clenched her fists shut, infuriated by his naivety. "When we first met, I hated your guts...you thought you were saving me from the hunter's house, but in reality, you were taking away the one thing that made me feel safe: isolation. And...my music box. Why did you destroy it?"</p><p> </p><p>     The lanky boy was frozen in disbelief, blinking away the shock he felt. Sure, maybe she was mad, but couldn't she see that his intentions were good? "I thought...it was turning you into a monster. And I didn't want to escape without you..." Mono tried to explain himself, but Six wasn't having it at all. In fact, she seemed even more upset after he spoke.</p><p> </p><p>     "It wasn't turning me into a monster. You were. It's all your fault; everything in this city...is your fault. I realized it when I finally saw your face." Although she had a good point to distrust Mono, he was utterly confused at what she meant. Clearly he wasn't very self-aware. "The thin man who captured me...that TV signal that distorts everything around it, including the people..."</p><p> </p><p>     Mono stood up and walked closer to Six, trying to console her by putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm the thin man? But how? I don't understand..." She nudged his hand away and created some distance between them. Mono frowned and just stared at Six with a heartbroken, compassionate gaze.</p><p> </p><p>     "He disappeared suddenly, and then I turned into...that version of myself. I thought maybe it was your doing. He was the only one who could travel through the TVs. They kept rejecting you, probably because the thin man didn't want you to try and stop him from capturing me." She theorized aloud, finally releasing the pressure in her fists and sighing to calm herself down. "When you let him out of the TV, you felt different, didn't you?"</p><p> </p><p>     "Um...yeah, actually." Mono stared at his feet, feeling ashamed since Six was making sense of everything that happened. She was right, wasn't she? Maybe, in actuality, he had known this whole time and just didn't want to believe it. "I think I gained his powers...when I let him out."</p><p> </p><p>     Six's heart felt weak in response to Mono's obliviousness. When he looked back up to her, she could see his guilt, too. "Why didn't you try to save me when I fell over? You just watched—like a coward—" she suddenly cut herself off, her stomach growling deafeningly. She held it due to the pangs and keeled over onto the floor, groaning out in pain.</p><p> </p><p>     Mono didn't even think about her hostility toward him when she collapsed. Seeing her so agonized, he quickly knelt next to her and put one hand on her back, the other holding her arm. "Here, you can lean on me. We'll go find something for you to eat." He suggested, cautiously lifting her up as he stood. With his arm wrapped around her supportively, she got herself leverage by wrapping her arm around his neck, while the other arm entrapped her dangerous stomach.</p><p> </p><p>     "Why are you being so nice to me?" She spoke in a near-whisper, hiding her face once more.</p><p> </p><p>     "What do you mean?" The brunette boy was dumbfounded by her question. He didn't understand if she was condemning herself or him because her tone was so unreadable. "You're my best friend. I wouldn't just leave you here." After he spoke, he heard a barely audible sniffle come from the girl. "And I know you care about me, too. You saved me many times. I know you, Six."</p><p> </p><p>     She whimpered and cried out with a strained voice, gripping onto Mono's coat as she struggled to accept this fact. She wasn't used to being cared about. She had always been hiding her whole life. "After everything I've said...betraying your trust...you still believe in me. I almost killed you..." Although she was emotional, Mono stared at her with loving black eyes.</p><p> </p><p>     "But you didn't. That's all that matters. You chose to save me because you know I'd do the same. That's what trust is, right?" After trying to console Six, the girl had more bad hunger pangs. He held onto her and made sure she didn't fall, beginning to walk out of the apartment. "You're gonna be okay."</p><p>     Mono didn't have anything left to say about Six's betrayal; in his eyes, she was still the same person, and nothing had happened between them to make him despise or distrust her. Just because of an intrusive thought that caused her to snap? No, he didn't think she hated him, so he wanted to trust her.</p><p>     As they walked silently down the long, seemingly infinite hallways of the apartment complex in order to get back into the streets, Six looked disappointed or sad, or maybe both. He didn't know if she should bother her, though, since she was in so much pain.</p><p>     Upon getting out of the building, their eyes were drawn immediately to the signal tower, which appeared to be crumbling unprecedented. It was both scary and awesome to witness.</p><p> </p><p>     "Without the thin man, that tower can't operate anymore..." Six spoke up as the beaming light from the radar atop the tower crashed into the ground. "What are we going to do? Do you think the remaining people will go back to normal?"</p><p> </p><p>     Mono shifted his gaze to look at Six. She was thinking about others even when she was hurting. He hummed in thought, then looking back to the tower. "I hope so. It seems like the transmission was bringing the bad traits out in everyone. So maybe, if the transmission is gone, people like the teacher will stop attacking us." He explained his idea, to which the girl responded with a slightly surprised expression, from what he could see at least.</p><p> </p><p>     "You know, you're actually kind of smart. But it's only a theory, so let's be careful." She warned the boy, tugging him along so they could keep moving.</p><p> </p><p>     "Says the girl who got captured three times. You aren't very careful." Mono was slightly annoyed with Six's words, even though she was obviously trying to be helpful.</p><p> </p><p>     Six growled quietly, pouting since he had already tested her patience enough in one day. "Well, maybe if you hadn't ran off and gotten trapped by the locker..." She placed the blame on him, not wanting to seem weak in his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>     "So, you're saying you needed my help?" Mono teased the girl, but she didn't say anything back. She was definitely upset. He had never met another kid his age, so he didn't know if he was out of line, but he also assumed for some reason that Six just wasn't normal, especially after witnessing her warm her hands by the burning doctor in the incinerator. He was scared of her, and that's putting it lightly.</p><p> </p><p>     "I hope one of these houses has food... I don't care if it's rotten at this point." She changed the subject, stumbling a bit as her stomach rumbled once again.</p><p> </p><p>     Mono stopped in his tracks and let go of Six, squatting down slightly so that she could get on his back. "You need to conserve your energy. Get some rest if you want." To his surprise, she didn't complain at all, and hesitantly lifted herself onto his back, wrapping her skinny arms around his neck. "I'll find you something. Don't worry." After reassuring her once again, he started moving slowly but surely. He checked apartment after apartment, house after house, and the most he could find was rotten fish. And then, finally, after what seemed like ages, the rain stopped, and the sun was rising.</p><p> </p><p>     He felt much more energized in the light, and ended up finding a house closer to the outskirts that hadn't gotten gross and run-down yet. He put the sleeping Six down next to the door and found something to help him reach the doorknob, eventually swinging the door open. When he was back outside, he saw his friend waking up and shielding her eyes from the sun. He grabbed her hand and helped her up, then dragging her inside where they could be hidden.</p><p> </p><p>     "How long were you walking around?" Six questioned him groggily, wiping the sleep from her eyes and follwing behind him clumsily. Once they were farther inside the house, they reached the living room, which was connected to the kitchen. It looked really clean, as if nobody had ever lived here.</p><p> </p><p>     "I'm not sure. I guess a few hours." He answered her nonchalantly and let go of her hand near the couch, helping her up so she didn't have to stand. As he left her side to search the kitchen, he could hear her stomach again. He felt terrible for her. Why was she so hungry all of a sudden?</p><p>     When he reached the fridge, he stared up at it with a concerned expression. He was praying, hoping there was something here. He jumped up and grabbed the handle.</p><p>     The light that came out blinded him for a moment. He was expecting the worst, but he was pleasantly surprised to find sushi rolls, cakes and even more raw meat that hadn't gone bad yet. Maybe whoever lived here was new to town, or wasn't as affected by the signal from the tower.</p><p>     He was so happy that he didn't know how to tell Six. Mono turned around to call her, but she was standing there, holding her stomach. Her hood was down, so he could see a small glimpse of her soft eyes underneath her long bangs. "This place should be safe. And it has plenty of food for a few days, maybe even a week, if you need to recover." He told her the good news, and she immediately dropped her arms to her sides, walking close to the refrigerator. She took hold of the sushi platter and peeled the wrapping off of the top.</p><p>     As if like a rabid creature, Six was suddenly on the floor, bent over the food and shoving it into her mouth without even breathing. Mono rushed over to her side when he saw her display of such animalistic behavior. "Hey, slow down! You'll make yourself sick!" He put his hand on her back and rubbed in supportive little circles to calm her when she choked a bit from eating too quickly. "Are you feeling better now?"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Mono and Six are slowly but surely warming up to one another again, and even becoming better friends than they previously were. Mono gets Six to open up.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>do I even have any words? no, just them</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     Six coughed and sat back on her legs, wiping her mouth as she tried to catch her breath. She didn't respond immediately, likely because she was trying to adjust to so much food at once. "I'm okay." She stared into Mono's eyes and exasperated, clinging to him out of nowhere. She didn't know why, but she felt like hugging him. He made her happy when she was sad. "Thanks...for taking care of me." After showing her gratitude, she tried to pull away, but Mono wasn't letting go.</p><p> </p><p>     "Sorry, I've just never had a friend before I met you. My dad was in the hospital and I was on my own at that boarding school. All of the kids hated me..." The boy tried to explain his past, and why he was so clingy, but Six didn't seem that emotionally invested in the story.</p><p> </p><p>     "So you lived here in the Pale City? Why were you in the woods near the hunter?" She finally pried his arms off of her body and sat back down, watching him and keeping her ears open in case he wanted to speak again.</p><p> </p><p>     Mono shrugged and anxiously fiddled with his coat. "All I remember is waking up in the woods next to a TV. Maybe I had this power the whole time and just wanted to pretend I was someone else..." He answered her melancholically, his posture exhausted as if he didn't want to discuss this matter anymore, which was pretty much true.</p><p> </p><p>Six frowned and put a hand on Mono's shoulder, her mood faltering considerably since she knew he was also upset. "You're my first friend, too. I was an orphan, and I was experimented on... That's why I kinda don't have a real name; Six was just my number." She explained a bit of her past, causing the other to look slightly encouraged. She hadn't said much about herself until now, so he was happy.</p><p> </p><p>     "I think it's pretty. Even if it is just a number, it's still your name." Mono complimented the girl, which caused her to become a tad shy—at least, that's what he could see from her averted gaze.</p><p> </p><p>     "Th-Thanks...yours isn't so bad either." After she responded, it was extremely awkward between them, and Mono couldn't tell why Six was being so quiet.</p><p> </p><p>     Eventually, they were just sat next to each other on the kitchen floor. Six was dozing off again, and Mono took the opportunity to put the rest of the platter back in the fridge. When he returned to her, he pulled her up off of the floor and walked with her to the living room, practically carrying her since she was still half-asleep.</p><p>     Before helping her back onto the couch, he removed her raincoat, wanting her to be able to dry off and be cozy. After getting her up, Mono took his coat off as well and hung them both over one arm of the couch. Then, finally, he hopped up and joined Six.</p><p>     He found himself idly staring at the TV, even though it was off, and began reflecting on the events of yesterday. He didn't even realize until Six grabbed his hand and squeezed it that he had been completely out of it. She stared at him with concerned eyes, and before he knew it, there were tears streaming down his face.</p><p> </p><p>     "It's okay. I know you feel guilty... And I know I said some messed up things to you, but you're a good person, Mono." Six brought her free hand up to the boy's face and wiped his tears away, nudging his chin with her fingers to perk him up. "You can make things right by following your heart. I've decided I will, too."</p><p> </p><p>     Mono's expression was blank; he didn't know what he felt, or how to deal with his thoughts. He spent so much of his childhood being a scared little kid with so much anger pent up inside him that everything felt like such a fever dream. Sometimes he really thought he was just living a little nightmare. "Six, if you had dropped me... I think this would all just...repeat. If I, the thin man, can actually travel through time and change the past...maybe that's why my future self tried to stop me from getting to you. What if that's the reason my future self is like that in the first place...because this has all happened before?" He was sure what he was saying all just sounded like bumbling nonsense to Six, but he couldn't help it. There was an aching sensation inside his body that made everything twist and distort, even his sane thoughts.</p><p> </p><p>     The girl remained quiet and pondered over his words, not taking her eyes away from him even once. She was curious what caused him to change his demeanor so quickly. "Maybe. What if my future self is out there somewhere? Earlier...when we got out of the signal tower, I saw a poster on the ground. I felt like it was calling me somewhere... It was kind of shaped like my music box, but when it was broken." It was possible she was just tired and didn't know what she was saying, but her voice was determined and skeptical. She wanted to know more.</p><p> </p><p>     Mono remained fairly unresponsive, even despite Six's attempts to share his burden. He looked back to the TV after she was finished talking, but suddenly felt a throbbing pain in his head that caused him to cover his ears and groan in pain. "Make it stop..." He slipped off of the couch and walked almost like a zombie to the TV, yelling out in rage as he smashed the closest blunt object into the screen, which just so happened to be a small lamp. Due to the force of his 'attack' the glass from the shattered screen flew back sharply and scraped not only his hands but his face as well.</p><p>     When he dropped the lamp, he breathed heavily, trying to calm himself down. The erratic movement of his breaths resembled the teacher, and even the doctor. He felt faint and flushed; he didn't even realize he was falling until it happened. He blacked out.</p><p> </p><p>     Six dropped off of the couch and stared at the TV, walking closer to Mono and trying to comprehend what had just occurred. Maybe he was just fighting whatever was inside of him, the urges to become like the thin man, his destiny.</p><p>     She crouched next to his body and watched over him until he finally came to. He looked disoriented. "You feeling okay?" She asked lovingly, being careful not to step on the glass. "You passed out for like three minutes. And you're bleeding."</p><p> </p><p>     "Mm..." He slowly sat up, his mind and body aching. "I feel sick..." Mono admitted this in a squeamish tone, looking to Six, who had her hand extended out to pull him up. As soon as he went to reach for help, the girl was sent flying back into the couch, wincing as she impacted. "Six!" He yelped in shock, forcing himself onto his feet and rushing to her side.</p><p> </p><p>     She had that same look of cold indifference on her face as she had when they first met. Of course she would be suspicious. "Can...I trust you?" She questioned threateningly. Mono backed away nervously, a bit scared of her intimidating expression and stance. "I'm joking. Did you seriously think I was gonna do something? You're not scared of me, are you?" Although she was being lighthearted and relaxed, her passive aggressiveness made her seem much more terrifying than before.</p><p> </p><p>     "Yeah...just a little. You can be pretty creepy..." Mono guiltily replied, and Six ground her nightmarish, beast-like teeth, annoyed at his honesty. "Like right now—" he added, and she folded her arms impatiently, facing away from him since he had hurt her feelings. "Ah- I'm sorry. I meant to say...you're unique, and it's...charming." He tried to make her feel better, but it didn't seem to work. He didn't know why he said something so stupid after she just tried to help him.</p><p> </p><p>     "You are so lucky you're my friend." She shook her head in shame. He was definitely getting more confident around her, but maybe that wasn't such a good thing based on how she just reacted.</p><p> </p><p>     Mono walked closer finally after getting over his guilt, putting a hand on her shoulder and forcing her to turn around. Once they were awkwardly facing one another, Six gently punched him on the chest, refusing to make eye contact. Even though they were the same size, she felt so small in comparison to him. Since he still couldn't forgive himself for making her self-conscious, Mono pulled her into a hug and held her securely in his arms. He wanted to protect her and make up for his mistakes. To do that, he had to start now. He hadn't even noticed until now, but she was just scary on the outside; inside, she was a broken record, a scared little girl. They were one in the same.</p><p>     The moment between them was much needed; it was an apology and understanding without any words. When they pulled away from one another, Six smiled, which made Mono feel so warm and relaxed. Was this the first time he had seen her make a face like this? She looked like she was about to say something, but stopped in her tracks. He tilted his head, puzzled at her hesitation. "What is it? Were you going to say something? It's okay—you can say it." He reassured her, and she sheepishly fiddled with her baggy shirt, showcasing such an innocent demeanor that he was honestly taken aback.</p><p> </p><p>     "I was just thinking about how I hated you eight hours ago. I'm finding it really hard to hate you now, even though you're saying things that make me want to beat you up." Six projected her recent thoughts, which were actually pretty scary despite the fact that Six likely meant for them to be thoughtful.</p><p> </p><p>     "Why is it that every time so far you've acted kind you end up threatening me or insulting my intelligence?" Mono asked this with a straight face, feeling anxious but not showing it so Six didn't get upset again.</p><p> </p><p>     "Because it's funny." She answered quickly, but when Mono gave a dry reaction to her 'joke,' she pouted. "To me." Once again, he didn't really react much. She was annoyed and he could tell immediately. He smiled at her and even chuckled because of how childish she could be, which wasn't even a bad thing. They were kids, after all. "See? I told you it's funny. You're laughing!"</p><p> </p><p>     The boy nodded to affirm her belief, although it was a little white lie to make her feel better. "I'm sorry for hitting you with my powers. I never said it..." He changed the subject, and she stopped smiling, her mouth agape at his words. Had she already forgotten about it?</p><p> </p><p>     "You don't need to apologize. I know you didn't mean to." This bunch of genuine words made Mono's heart skip a beat. He knew Six was a good person before this, but now he had no doubts. She wasn't even angry. Of course...why would she be? She was right, he didn't mean to. He couldn't control these powers, even if he wanted to. So he was thankful he had such an amazing friend. "You're too much of a softy to ever purposefully hurt me." And...she ruined the moment. Again. She didn't have a filter, did she?</p><p> </p><p>     "I mean...you're not wrong. I would never hurt a girl, anyway. Human girls. Not the bullies, because I definitely killed plenty of them..." He reflected on the nightmare that was the school, and Six smiled yet again, imitating Mono's epic arm swing.</p><p> </p><p>     "Those crackheads got what they deserved. How dare they tie me up in a musty bathroom." She complained, putting her hands on her hips to express smugness. She did kill one with her bare hands, so Mono didn't think they wanted to get on her bad side again.</p><p> </p><p>     Mono laughed at her pun, wondering how exactly he had ever let himself be intimidated by her. She may have been scary, but she didn't take it out on him. If she wanted to, she would have done it by now.</p><p>     He was enjoying reminiscing with her about their long night, but the fun had to stop abruptly as the front door slammed open. They immediately ducked, and the boy held his breath as he sneaked over to the couch to retrieve their coats. After returning to Six, the girl grabbed his hand and peeked out to observe the entrance. It looked like one of those creepy viewers, only it didn't seem aggressive. "I broke this poor lady's TV..." He whispered coyly. Six couldn't help but giggle at his concern.</p><p>     When the lady moved away from the door and to the other side of the couch, they stayed hidden and pivoted around the living room, eventually reaching the open door and jogging quietly out of the house. The lady didn't see them, thankfully, but they still felt chills go down their spines when she let out one of those deafening shrieks.</p><p>     After making some more distance and hiding from the house, Mono handed Six's coat to her and then slipped his own back on. They really didn't get much time to relax, but they should probably keep moving anyway. "I think I need to hide my face...if we go back to the school." He looked around for something to wear, some kind of hat, but didn't see anything in his line of sight that could work. Everything was so...adult-sized.</p><p> </p><p>     "Yeah, you're probably right. I'll keep an eye out." Six replied casually, holding her hand out and waiting for Mono to grab it. They walked down the streets of the Pale City for a while, hiding from a few stray viewers since they didn't want to test if they were docile or not.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Mono and Six venture back into the school, but Six is too weak to go any farther. Mono makes a very interesting yet scary discovery upon going to find help for Six.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I speedran writing this bc I love them too much pls help</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Once they were back near where they exited the hospital, she ran ahead and picked up a small bag that was soaked. She twisted and squeezed as much water from the fabric as possible. "Hey, over here!" She called out to Mono, waiting for him to catch up and then presenting the bag to him. "Have anything sharp?"</p><p> </p><p>Mono shook his head, glancing around and eventually stumbled upon a switchblade on the ground. After picking it up, he took the bag from Six and carefully cut two eye-holes, then slipping it over his head. Afterwards, he closed the switchblade and tucked it into his coat's pocket.</p><p> </p><p>Six watched him idly as he prepared for the worst-case scenario. She was slightly disappointed that he had to cover his face, but it was safest for him. "You look more like yourself now. I was starting to miss your paper bag." She remarked jokingly, and Mono looked toward her; for some reason, she could just tell he was frowning underneath the bag.</p><p>"Come on, let's—" she tried to nudge Mono so they could keep moving, but that ravenous hunger was tearing her apart again. She fell to her knees as she held her stomach, grunting and wincing in pain.</p><p> </p><p>"Six...? Why are you so hungry?" Mono asked timidly, squatting down to get a better look at Six, who seemed a bit pale in comparison to her usual complexion.</p><p> </p><p>Six took her hood off once again and slowly lifted herself up, having Mono's help to balance. She looked at him, then down the street as if searching for something, and then back at Mono, taking a deep breath to calm down. "I'm okay. I can wait." She hoped to reassure Mono, but her stomach continued growling, which wasn't very convincing.</p><p> </p><p>"We should take a different route to get to the school. Going through the hospital would be too dangerous in your condition." He suggested this confidently, grabbing Six's hand and pulling her into one of the apartment complexes nearby. Everything was broken down and treacherous, but maybe they could ascend and take a safer path.</p><p>He made sure to keep her close as they walked up the many flights of stairs. Eventually, when they couldn't go any farther, they walked to an open window and slipped out onto the balcony. "Are you able to jump?" When he spoke up, Six nodded, but she was so fragile that he didn't feel like she could possibly make the gap. He let go of her hand and got a running start to get to the balcony across the way. Afterwards, he turned around and waited near the ledge in case Six needed his help after all. When she jumped, he felt his heart skip a beat, but thankfully she was able to manage. He was just relieved to have her by his side again.</p><p> </p><p>"Mono...can you carry me again?" Six suddenly asked, having to lean on the boy as they walked into the building.</p><p> </p><p>He blinked in astonishment when she asked for his help, but nodded despite his shock. "Of course. Anything I can do to help, just tell me." He bent over and helped Six onto his back, holding her legs at his sides so she didn't fall. She clung to him weakly, and he started walking again.</p><p>Eventually, he reached the stairs in this complex and walked down to the ground floor. Once he reached the streets, he took strategic pathways through alleys to avoid having to jump or climb anything.</p><p> </p><p>As Mono made his way through endless dark alleyways, Six didn't dare let go of him because of how faint she was. Resting her head on his shoulder, she almost felt relaxed, but the scent...she had almost forgotten what disgusting gunk they had trudged through earlier. "You smell like sewage and guts." She admitted shamelessly, and Mono chuckled at her late realization.</p><p> </p><p>"You do, too. Actually...I'm pretty sure you smell even worse. We need to wash up before we get sick." He knew she would probably be annoyed at his honesty, but at the same time, he didn't want her thinking she had a different smell than him, when she definitely didn't.</p><p> </p><p>"I want to take a bath..." She replied, a disappointed tone escaping her mouth, as if she were desperate to get clean.</p><p> </p><p>Mono definitely understood her pain. He remembered a few weeks ago when he first saw her being captured in the woods, and knew that Six definitely had not taken a bath in at least a month, maybe even more depending on where she had been before. He decided to drop it, though, since he didn't want to frustrate her anymore.</p><p>Although the time he spent walking seemed like forever, it paid off in the end, because they ended up not too far from where they exited the school. Mono put Six down cautiously, wanting to make sure she could hold herself up.</p><p>After helping her get adjusted to walking again, he looked up steeply to the high windows of the school, trying to get rid of his overwhelming feeling of dread. "Do you think you can make it a little more? There's plenty of food in the cafeteria, from what I remember. And it seemed fresh."</p><p> </p><p>Six groaned in annoyance at Mono's words, reluctantly making her way to the edge of the building and climbing up the rotted brick siding to get to a window that was low-ish to the ground. Mono followed behind her closely to make sure she didn't slip. Upon reaching the window and crawling inside, they realized they were in a bathroom. Six sighed in relief since there were no foes and sat on the floor; her drowsiness was weighing her down and she couldn't keep moving unless she got something to eat. "I'm sorry I'm so weak... I don't know what happened; I wasn't like this before the thin man took me. He must have done something to my body..." She tried to find an excuse for why this was happening, but even she wasn't convinced by her own theory.</p><p> </p><p>"Hey, you don't need to apologize... I'm not angry at all, okay? If you need to rest, I'll go find you something to eat, so just stay here and keep out of sight." Mono smiled even though he knew his friend wouldn't be able to see it, and then he rubbed her head gently to create a lighthearted aura between them.</p><p> </p><p>With a slight nod, the girl brushed Mono's hand off of her head and curled up into a ball, holding around her legs since she was a bit chill. "Please...hurry back. I don't like being away from you." Her words came out in a soft murmur, so quiet that Mono could barely hear them.</p><p> </p><p>He sighed through his nose when she admitted such a thing and felt his face heat up; it was for a reason he didn't really understand. Maybe he was just happy that she felt the same way he felt about her. "Me too... I promise I'll be as quick as possible." After reassuring her, he walked out of the bathroom and cracked the door, not wanting to close it since it would be hard to reopen.</p><p>He had chills down his spine now that he was alone; he couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen while they were separated. Despite his discomfort, he proceeded down the halls of the school. He kept an eye out for any bullies, but didn't see any. He wondered if the signal tower had made them like that, too.</p><p>When he reached the fourth floor after using the elevator, he exited and peeked his head around the corner of the hall, observing his surroundings before making any moves. As he was about to move, he felt a tap on his shoulder. It was a child, but not one of the porcelain children. He backed away from them nervously, and they suddenly reached up to their head, which was bleeding near the scalp. "Are you—" he wanted to ask if they were okay, and what they were doing here, but before the child could respond, they collapsed on the floor, holding his pant leg desperately as they took their final breaths.</p><p>He shook their frail hand off of his leg and backed away once again, his chest aching after experiencing such a heart-wrenching death. He tried to forget it, but the image of a poor child suffering in their final moments stuck with him, and it likely always would.</p><p>Against his will, Mono left the kid's body and sneaked down the halls. Before he knew it, he stumbled upon a familiar adult figure. It was the teacher, but she looked much different. In a moment of panic, he tried to run and hide, but before he could move, he heard a voice,</p><p> </p><p>"Stop."</p><p> </p><p>His body was frozen in response to the demand, and he stared up at the teacher. As soon as she turned around, he felt his worries wash away completely. She wasn't the same hostile woman he encountered yesterday. Maybe the same person, but her face was completely different. She looked...younger, kinder, but most importantly...she looked sad.</p><p>Mono watched her kneel down and realized something: this was his teacher. She was the one that made this school experience more bearable for him. Was the signal tower causing her to become evil this whole time? He gulped a lump down his throat and relaxed his posture, removing the bag from his head on a whim. Maybe she would recognize him...</p><p>"The signal tower was making everyone do bad things." He spoke confidently, dropping the bag and watching as the woman's eyes lit up with delight.</p><p> </p><p>"So you were able to escape before the disaster...?" She asked and placed her fist on the ground, her expression turning grim for a moment. She was probably upset about everything she had done. When Mono nodded in response to her question, she seemed slightly relieved.</p><p> </p><p>"Mrs. Anne... I actually need your help." Mono didn't know if it was wise to ask for her assistance with Six, but he didn't know what else to do. She was waiting for him, and would be waiting a long time if he didn't find a quicker solution.</p><p> </p><p>"It's Ms. Anne now. My husband... The signal tower got to him." She expressed much guilt and remorse as she spoke, but shook off the overwhelming disappointment and stood back up, having witnessed Mono's empathetic expression. "I'll help you out... It's the least I can do." She finally replied, and the boy smiled for a split second.</p><p> </p><p>He looked behind his shoulder and then back to his old teacher, his mind racing anxiously. "Me and my friend have been running around for a while. She's been getting really hungry, and there's not much fresh food left in the city. Not to mention...we could really use a bath." He was vague about their problems since he didn't want to risk slipping any information that might harm Six or himself. "We've just been hiding for so long..." He tried to appeal to her motherly personality, though he wasn't sure he even needed the extra push. She looked as if she was going to comply just based on her subtle smile.</p><p> </p><p>"A girl? Do you like her? I never saw you talking to anyone in my classes." She questioned him knowingly, in a way that proved just how much of a protective mother-type she could be.</p><p> </p><p>Mono stiffened up at the woman's accusation, his cheeks burning up even though he wasn't even sure about his own feelings. He was still so young and just assumed his love was platonic. "N-No, she's just a friend. I saw her captured a couple of weeks ago and wanted to help her... I just didn't get around to it until yesterday since things were so crazy here in the city." He explained a bit of his actions, but chose not to specify the hunter and their time in the woods for a good reason. Being discreet was all he could do to ensure Six's safety at this point. "She's hiding in the first floor girl's bathroom since she wasn't feeling well enough to come with me."</p><p> </p><p>The teacher nodded affirmatively and folded her arms behind her back, turning back around to look outside through the window once again. "I'll bring something down for you both to eat. And I'll try to get a bath prepared, though...I have a lot more on my hands now that the children are back to normal." She gave her word, and Mono exasperated because of how glad he was that he could help Six. "Run along to her. I'll be down shortly."</p><p> </p><p>"Yes ma'am." He replied awkwardly, backing away and eventually jogging back to the elevator. He was perturbed after having to see the child on his way back, but thankfully he was able to drag his eyes away from that sad sight.</p><p>When the elevator reached the bottom floor, Mono was prepared to run to Six, but he ended up walking slowly; he heard a faint humming from the bathroom and figured it was his friend. Her voice was mesmerizing, and it brought him so much peace as he approached the door. Upon pushing it open, he could see her shaking, scratching at her already bruised legs and hiding her face against her knees.</p><p>After closing the door behind himself, she jumped in shock, and the face he saw in her moment of vulnerability broke his heart: dreary-eyed, flushed cheeks and tears streaming down graciously.</p><p> </p><p>Six cleared her throat and wiped her face quickly, then making sure she didn't make eye contact with Mono. "You're back... I was starting to get annoyed." She lied right through her teeth when she spoke those light-hearted words through her pain. Mono clenched his fist out of frustration at her mannerisms.</p><p> </p><p>Although he was upset at her trying to evade any comfort from him, he frowned and relaxed his hand, walking over to her with kind eyes. Mono sat right next to Six and pulled her into his arms; he didn't expect it, but she almost immediately clung to him in return, holding onto his coat desperately and nuzzling into his collarbone to hide her face once again. "It's okay. I'm here now."</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Mono and Six get a meal, bath and alone time to explore their thoughts. They are happy to finally relax and be off of their feet, and that loose consciousness creates some tension between them.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Oh boy I am so sorry for taking a week to update... I was not having the best time lately, and my mental health is poopy, but writing about them makes me feel much better (｡í _ ì｡)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     Mono held the sensitive Six until she calmed down, his body language awkward since she was mostly just crying on him. When she quieted down and relaxed, with only faint hiccups escaping her mouth, he pulled away slightly and wiped her face just like she had done for him earlier. "The song you were singing...it was from your music box, right? We'll have to get it back for you." He was promising himself in that moment to give Six her music box no matter what, even if it meant danger.</p><p> </p><p>     The girl let out a shaky breath and put some more distance between herself and Mono, holding her stomach as it threatened to overtake her mind. "Where did your bag go? Did something happen?" She changed the subject quickly, and Mono stared at her with focused eyes, wanting to understand how she could brush off so much sadness and pain.</p><p> </p><p>     "Nothing bad; I ran into the teacher— she was back to normal. She was my teacher before everything happened, but I couldn't even recognize her when she was under the influence of the signal tower. Even the kids, they—" he cut himself off, getting slightly choked up because of how grim the things he witnessed and heard were. "This is...all my fault..." He dropped his head and gripped onto his hair; he was in agony just thinking about all of the lives he ruined as the thin man, and even now as himself. How many kids had he killed while trying to rescue Six?</p><p> </p><p>     Six didn't react in a very empathetic way; she had problems with that because of her trust issues, but regardless she didn't take her eyes off of Mono, and honestly couldn't even if she wanted to. She just stared at him deadpan, and eventually she held onto his hand, interlocking their fingers to provide some level of comfort.</p><p> </p><p>     Mono blinked in surprise when she grabbed his hand, noticing that she had her eyes fixated on him. He couldn't understand her expression, because it either had too many emotions to count, or too little. He was conflicted about it. But for some reason, he felt better. And then, out of nowhere, he watched her lips upturn into a smile. He could feel his heart racing again. "Um...the teacher said she'll bring us something to eat, just so you know... I didn't forget." He wanted to take his mind off of her deceitfully innocent actions, mostly since he'd seen how ruthless she could be, but also because he wanted her to keep smiling, and knew that it would all go away soon, because she was in pain.</p><p> </p><p>     "I'm starving. I'm seriously gonna eat my hand." Six replied playfully, but although she meant it as a joke, Mono was deeply concerned about her words; he had to really ask himself in that moment: would Six actually stoop that low? And the fact that he didn't know the answer scared him...just a bit.</p><p> </p><p>     "Please don't eat your hand. That's probably not healthy." He replied nonchalantly even though he was nervous, and Six giggled at his funny reaction. Her being happy was probably the only thing he looked forward to anymore, but she seemed to hurt after laughing, which made him not so fond of it in an instant. "Whenever I get hungry, I bite my nails. It kind of helps distract me."</p><p> </p><p>     The girl frowned when he mentioned a coping mechanism, presented both of her hands to Mono...she had already taken advantage of that solution, it appeared. "My nails have been short for like...four months. Before I came here, I had to help some chick try to escape a creepy island. She just ended up dying anyway... Like, what gives? I sacrificed my nails for no reason." She explained a bit of her past with an annoyed tone, but Mono really hoped she was just being satirical. "I escaped on a raft, but I've seen stories of a shadow man that takes children across the ocean to wherever they want. Maybe he's real, and we can leave this place together." Her optimism was pretty rare, so Mono had learned to appreciate it, especially now when the information was so helpful and intriguing.</p><p> </p><p>     "Me too, Six. I would like that." He replied with a gentle smile, as if coddling her, and yet it was such a sad smile. So much disappointment and anger was masked by his display of affection; Six was the first and only person to ever tell him such a thing, to promise a better future.</p><p> </p><p>     She was stunned by his confusing grin, but instead of questioning him, she scooted closer to him and wrapped her arms around his torso, resting her tired head against his chest. She was more at ease when he gave in to her lovable actions and returned the hug; she was cozy enough to take a nap, but she decided to stay awake and simply bask in the moment of bliss. Not to mention, it was cold on the tiled floor, and Mono was warm.</p><p> </p><p>     Mono sighed quietly to himself and clenched his eyes shut, his head pounding with fear. He didn't want this to end; he didn't want the good times to disappear...he couldn't take anymore heartbreak. He was so anxious. Holding onto Six, he did try to keep his head held high, but because of his past experiences, he didn't know how. He might have been brave and kind with others, but in reality, there was never a single moment when he wasn't anticipating bad things to come. Six was like his blessing in disguise—he didn't know what he would do without her.</p><p>     He gripped onto her coat as she clung to him. Soon enough he was able to calm down, because Six was so at peace, breathing evenly-paced breaths and quiet as a mouse. A good while later, he was finally on the verge of falling asleep, but the door suddenly opened. It startled him enough to keep him from fully dozing off, and he held Six protectively until he saw that it was the teacher.</p><p> </p><p>     "I've brought you two something to eat. I left it in the hallway just outside this room. When you're ready to get cleaned up, I'll be on the fifth floor." The woman spoke in a nurturing voice, fitting for such a prominent person in this large school. She didn't stay idle for long and left them alone again, keeping the door open slightly so they could get out easily.</p><p> </p><p>     Six lifted herself up lazily and glanced behind herself to the door, watching the teacher leave promptly. "Mono, she still scares me." She suddenly spoke up as she turned back to the boy, though it was in a whisper as to not bleed words into the next room.</p><p> </p><p>The dull-eyed boy was taken aback by Six's honesty, wondering how she could fear someone who looked so caring. "She's not going to do anything. She was my old teacher. If it makes you feel better, I think she really wants to help us. Didn't you want a bath? Are you gonna pass up an opportunity?" He tried to convince the girl, his thoughts frantically spewing out of his mouth in his attempt.</p><p> </p><p>With a pout, the girl stared at Mono for a moment as she pondered her decision. "Fine..." She carefully stood up from the floor, waiting for Mono to do the same and then walking with him out of the bathroom. Although she was considerably spooked, as soon as she saw the abundance of meat, greens, and carbs, she walked over to the platters and sat down in such a hurry that she probably scratched her knees on the hardwood. She grabbed the small fork on the plate and began shoving the vegetables into her mouth.</p><p> </p><p>Mono once again watched her in shock. He eventually sat down next to her and grabbed her wrist, trying to stop her from eating so quickly. "You're gonna get a tummy ache... Try eating more slowly, okay? I don't want you to get sick." His expression was charming and concerned, which is likely the only reason Six took the fork away from her mouth and sat still for a minute. After watching her, he started to help himself to his own food, starting with his protein since he wanted to get stronger.</p><p>He was so distracted with feeding himself—he didn't realize until he looked back over to Six that she had already finished her entire plate. He wanted to scold her, but she had such a sheepish demeanor that it made him feel guilty for getting onto her a few minutes ago. With a sigh, he pushed his plate over to her. He could tell she was hesitant to accept it. "Go on. I know you're hungry. You don't have to worry about me." He cooed comfortingly, nudging it toward her even more.</p><p> </p><p>"You better not regret this later..." Six replied as she took hold of Mono's plate, her hands shaking just barely.</p><p> </p><p>"I'd do it again, Six. I want to make sure you're okay." Mono watched the girl eat the rest of his food, never once taking his eyes off her. It was pretty entertaining, to be honest. When she was done, she wiped her mouth and faced Mono, prostrating herself to properly show her appreciation for his kindness. Mono was just confused. "What are you doing?" He questioned her cluelessly, causing her to pull up abruptly and stare at him in deep thought.</p><p> </p><p>"That's how we would say 'thank you' where I used to live." She explained her actions as she stood up from the floor. "I'm not good with words...you know that by now. It's easier for me to express stuff physically." She frowned after speaking, which Mono saw as her disappointment. If it was the case, he didn't know why she was being so hard on herself.</p><p> </p><p>Mono joined her in standing shortly after she spoke and grabbed her hand immediately. "It's okay that you have trouble talking about your feelings. I'm like that, too; I just started talking more when I met you...because I could tell you were shy." He tried to reassure her, but she let out another one of her threatening growls in response.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm not shy. I just don't like wasting time on stupid emotions." Her words were sharp like a knife. Mono could feel the chills crawling down his spine. He didn't even need to know anymore about her to discern that she had been betrayed a lot in the past—why else would she think that way? "With you...it's fine, I guess..." She muttered gingerly, having turned her head slightly so her words weren't very audible.</p><p> </p><p>     The boy blinked in surprise when he realized that Six had something relatively sweet; the only reason he knew is because she was blushing and staring at the ground. "What was that?" He queried, a hopeful glint in his blank eyes. When she covered her face with her hands, he realized he probably wouldn't get anything out of her.</p><p>Mono reached a hand over and grabbed her wrist gently, pulling her closer until she was forced to hug him again, which she seemed to do very willingly, in actuality. This time, he took initiative in the exchange and locked Six in his arms, closing his eyes to bask in the calming moment. Upon releasing her from the hug, Six held onto his shoulders and looked deep into his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>"I want my bath now." The girl demanded selfishly, to which Mono replied with an anxious grin. "Fifth floor, fifth floor." She hummed to herself as she dragged the boy to the elevator, having a pep in her step since she was excited.</p><p> </p><p>"You're really looking forward to this, huh?" Mono asked when they got inside the elevator, not letting go of her hand as she reached up on her tiptoes and pressed the button for the correct floor. Six looked at him blankly afterwards, reading his face like she loved to do.</p><p>They made eye contact for a bit and then resorted to silently watching the doors of the elevator as the soft humming of the mechanisms brought them closer to their destination. Neither of them was expecting to immediately smell the soap from down the hall.</p><p> </p><p>With bright eyes, Six pulled Mono toward where the light was coming from. Eventually, they came upon a room that was sort-of like a bathroom, but only had lines of large sinks and eastern-style showers with only drains on the floor and showerheads on the walls. It was fitting for a boarding school, but Mono used to hate showering with other kids. Six would be his exception.</p><p>The teacher was preparing their bath in one of the large sinks, with bubbles and small stairs to help them get in. She placed two hand towels neatly folded on the floor next to the makeshift bath and then turned around, looking only slightly surprised by their presence. Six hid behind Mono and watched as she slowly made her way out of the room, bowing her head slightly in thanks.</p><p>After the woman cracked the door and left them alone, Six pulled away from Mono and ran toward the sink eagerly, pulling her raincoat off in the process. After dropping it onto the floor, she also pulled her blue gown off, her white shorts, and lastly her undergarments. She took no time at all in getting up those stairs and into the bubbly sink, making a Six-sized splash.</p><p> </p><p>Mono stared at the girl when she popped her head underneath the water and then resurfaced, in awe at how childish she could be after everything grim they witnessed. Despite his initial shock, he eventually got himself undressed and joined her in the bath"tub" to make Six happy. Once he was situated, he fixated his gaze on Six again as she scrubbed her scruffy black hair, eventually following her example.</p><p> </p><p>Six was extremely relaxed in the hot water after she had thoroughly cleaned her hair, exasperating and leaning against the porcelain walls of the sink. "I wonder how long we'll be traveling...it's so cold outside." She complained to herself, but didn't seem to get upset.</p><p> </p><p>"It is... It's pretty late into the year—probably close to December." He fed into the topic, bringing up something that was neither positive nor negative; it was just informative. He didn't like seeing Six in a bad mood, after all.</p><p> </p><p>"December? That means I missed my birthday again." She replied nonchalantly, sinking down so that the bubbles slightly covered her face.</p><p> </p><p>Mono blinked in confusion; she looked so disappointed but also very indifferent, so he didn't exactly know how to approach his response. "My birthday is August 8th. When's yours?" He figured that maybe, by asking her about it, it would make her less focused in the fact that she missed it and more focused on the next time. He was probably wrong to assume she would be that optimistic, but he was at least relieved she didn't get angry.</p><p> </p><p>Six lifted up and started collecting bubbles in her hands, seemingly trying to distract herself...most likely from her cynical or cold thoughts. "November 19th." She answered Mono briefly, frowning sheepishly and hiding her eyes like always.</p><p>Because the boy was worried about her being sad, he approached Six and moved her bangs up enough to see her eyes clearly. Before he knew it, she was violently shoving him away and dunking his head underneath the water. "Don't touch my face!" She yelled threateningly, finally letting him go when he started struggling a scary amount.</p><p> </p><p>As Mono caught his breath above the water, he caught sight of Six fixing her hair, blushing and pouting in contrast to her previous behavior. "Sorry, I was trying to cheer you up—I didn't know." He explain his impulse to the girl, but she wasn't having his excuse. She was glaring at him under that dark fringe of hers.</p><p> </p><p>"You wouldn't like it if I randomly touched your face, would you?" She folded her arms across her chest and looked away yet again, but he caught a glimpse of her anger turning into sorrow as she did so. She probably thought she was good at hiding her emotions, but it wasn't true.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't mind it. Your hands are soft." Mono answered her (most likely) rhetorical question innocently, completely clueless why she was acting so abrasive towards him.</p><p> </p><p>Six gasped at his words and pursed her lips, her face burning with embarrassment. She did not expect him to respond like that at all, and he didn't even seem to be teasing her or anything. "You're so stupid." She dangled her arms out of the sink and tried to cool off, both due to her anger and her sheepishness.</p><p> </p><p>Mono tilted his head as he examined Six's mannerisms, only slightly taken aback by her insult. Before he could say anything, the teacher came back into the room with a change of clothes for both of them. For Mono, it was relatively similar to what he usually wore underneath his coat. For Six, it was a tan culotte skirt (with shorts sewed underneath) and a white fleece sweater.</p><p>After placing the clothes down nearby their towels, she picked up their dirty clothes and took them with her out of the room. She was probably going to wash them and hang them to dry so their bath wasn't for nothing.</p><p>They didn't spend much longer in the bath since their skin was getting a little gravelly. Six was the first to hop out and wrap her towel around herself. Mono followed shortly after and pulled the drain plug before heading down to dry off with his own towel. As they let the cool air do most of the work, they sat on the small stairs next to one another awkwardly.</p><p>It was so silent, but time passed and eventually Six leaned her body against Mono's, and her head atop his shoulder. At first, he didn't know how to react, however, after thinking about it, he wrapped an arm around the girl gently. He wanted to see her face, but it was clear she wasn't too keen of that, as she was looking down at her lap to avoid his gaze. At least he knew she wasn't upset at him anymore.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Six and Mono only get closer through their hardships, especially those that are heart-wrenching. At her breaking point, Six takes comfort in solace, but nothing lasts forever—even her anger.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Guys these updates take so long and I apologize for that 😅I'm on spring break now though and yeahhhh,,,</p><p>anyways pls comment ur favorite part from the chapter! I love reading about what you guys enjoyed 🥺</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     After Six and Mono got dressed in the clean clothes provided for them, they decided to lay low and continue their resting period for a while longer, or at least until their coats were dry.</p><p>     They sat in the room where several bunk beds were, but didn't try to get any sleep yet. Instead, Six sat in front of Mono and allowed him to not only comb her hair out, but also trim her bangs just a bit so she could see better. She wouldn't let him cut them a normal length, but he understood without having to ask why. It was probably the same reason she didn't want him touching her face earlier. Maybe she was insecure, or maybe she just didn't want to look weak in front of him.</p><p> </p><p>     When he was done, she dusted herself off and got up from the floor, running over to the dresser and jumping onto it so she could look out of the window. She stared in awe at the city buildings across the way, even glancing down to the playground at the front of the school. "Mono, do you think things will get better? Do you think the viewers will be okay? You haven't said much about it." She asked quietly, turning around and dangling her legs off of the dresser comfortably.</p><p> </p><p>    Mono walked over to Six and reached his hands out to her, helping her back down onto the floor. "I'm not sure... I really do hope for the best, but those people will always be missing important parts of who they are." He frowned, wiping a tuft of hair from her shoulder from where he had trimmed. "When you got taken by the thin man, I saw your glitched shadow. It was leading me to the tower. I found a lot of other glitched children during our time together...what if they got taken, too, but didn't escape? What if that's why you're getting so hungry?" He was panicking; if what the viewers desired was anything like what happened to Six, then she could really be in trouble...and it was all his fault.</p><p> </p><p>     Six didn't know how to reassure Mono with words, so she rubbed her thumbs over his knuckles gently, keeping eye context with him. "When I got out of the TV, I felt different...like I wasn't all me. Like I was missing something. But it's okay. Even if the thin man did take something from my body, I have you, so I'll be fine." She furrowed her brows as she spoke, seeming both determined and yet unsure at the same time. She could tell Mono deeply appreciated her trying to cheer him up.</p><p> </p><p>"I'll make it up to you, I promise." He was on the verge of pulling Six into a hug, but before he could, he was petrified as the same shadow figure appeared behind the girl. He pulled Six close and glared at the glitched version as it sat down and curled up into a ball. Not long after they witnessed this, it completely vanished into thin air.</p><p>Although he was confused and wanted answers, he took one look at Six beside him and his mind flashed with realization. "Your soul..." He blurted out, piecing things together in his head. He was hoping the girl could indulge him, but instead, she walked over to a flyer on the ground and picked it up, her face frozen in thought; she looked mesmerized. "Hey, Six?" He tried to get her attention, and thankfully she snapped out of whatever trance she was in.</p><p> </p><p>"This place." She began, showing the flyer to Mono, who examined it closely upon first encounter with the image. "The Maw...has lots of food. What if other kids are hiding there? We should go." She suggested thoughtfully. Mono approached her slowly and took the flyer from her, an unimpressed glint in his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>"It might not be safe for kids... It's a giant submarine." He replied with apprehension lacing his voice. Six's disappointment in him was painfully obvious, so he sighed and smiled guiltily. They wouldn't get anywhere if he refused her, so he was just thinking ahead. "Okay, so we go...but then what? Have you even thought about it?"</p><p> </p><p>Six dropped her head in shame, sitting on the floor and assuming the same position her glitched version had a moment ago. "I know you're just trying to keep me safe, but I'm not some weak little girl." She closed her eyes, trying to calm down after getting worked up from her anger.</p><p> </p><p>Mono didn't think he was being harsh with his protection, especially since Six had gotten into plenty of trouble during their time together. Regardless, he still felt bad, which is why he sat next to her on the floor, putting the flyer down nearby. "I don't want to lose you." He tried to break the tension by speaking his heart; Six looked at him with wide eyes and flushed cheeks when she heard this simple yet emotional sentence. Even Mono was shy, but only because of her reaction.</p><p> </p><p>"Why do you say those embarrassing things? It makes my chest feel weird..." She replied meekly, putting a hand over her heart and averting her gaze from the boy.</p><p> </p><p>"Because I mean it, Six. I want us to be together forever." Although he meant it in a platonic sense, he wouldn't deny that there was something more he felt. It was times like these when they just had the silence to speak volumes for them...his chest felt weird, too.</p><p>He put his hand on Six's back, but he flinched away a bit when she turned her head back around, making their faces merely inches apart. It was stressful to even look at Six from a distance because of how scary she was, so being this close to her with such a warm feeling made him sweat. He couldn't express how thankful he was when she eventually rested her head beneath his chin, getting rid of the nerve-racking atmosphere. "You understand, then?" He spoke up again, wanting to make sure they were on the same page about the precautions they needed to take.</p><p> </p><p>Six wrapped her arms around Mono's neck and barely lifted her head, making slight eye contact with him and then leaning up towards his face. After a second of hesitation, she placed a chaste, sweet kiss on his cheek. It was a small peck, but it was enough to pump Mono up for days, maybe even weeks. "I'm not going anywhere." She mumbled as she laid her head against his chest, her eyes on the verge of spilling more tears.</p><p> </p><p>Mono held the girl quietly for a couple of minutes until he calmed down from his shock. He eventually pulled Six with him as he stood up, walking to one of the beds that the other kids had used. He helped her onto it first and then joined her in laying down, his head spinning because of his overcrowding thoughts about her. "We should try to sleep. We don't know when we'll get to next." He suggested in a near-whisper, turning onto his other side so he could face the door and protect her if need be.</p><p>Behind him, she clung to him by wrapping an arm around his chest. She rested the palm of her hand over his heart and leaned her head against Mono's back, dozing off in no time at all. Being so lulled by her closeness, Mono interlocked his fingers over Six's hand and tried to fall asleep. It took a bit longer for him, but he managed.</p><p> </p><p>A few hours later, Mono woke up because he felt Six move away from him. She faced the other way, holding her stomach and groaning just like the other times when her hunger hit. He put a hand on her shoulder and rubbed it to comfort her. "You okay? Do you want to eat?" He knew the answers already, but he just wanted to hear them for himself, to make sure Six felt well enough to move around.</p><p>The girl turned over and faced Mono after a few seconds, showing him her hand, which was dripping blood from her fingertips. It appeared she had tried to take her mind off of her hunger by biting the skin off her fingers. He had done this sort of thing before, but never so extreme that it would draw blood. "Six? It's okay... Talk to me." He did something stupid and reached his hand out to cup the girl's cheek, completely disregarding how she had reached earlier when he barely touched her forehead.</p><p>He was trying to comfort her, but before he knew it, Six was drooling and violently attacking him, her teeth digging into his arm. For some reason, he couldn't scream; he was so choked up in fear that he couldn't move at all. And then, all of a sudden, he woke up, jolting his body forwards because of the shock. He was sweating, and he realized Six wasn't beside him anymore. How long had they been sleeping? And where had she gone?</p><p>Struggling to catch his breath, Mono slipped off of the bed and made his way to the door in jagged steps. He peeked his head into the hallway and made sure it was safe before leaving the room. He could immediately hear the clanking footsteps of the teacher's heels from the floor below him. He wondered if Six was there, too.</p><p>He made his way through the halls until he reached the elevator, going down to the fourth floor once he was inside. Upon exiting, he looked around for the teacher, which was easy since she was so tall and overwhelming. He found her carrying a trash bag; for the sake of his last bit of innocence, he didn't want to know what was inside. "Ms. Anne, have you seen Six? Th-The girl I was with." He corrected himself quickly, feeling weird discussing the girl to someone who hadn't really spoken to her.</p><p> </p><p>The woman turned around to face him and put the bag down carefully, folding her arms across her chest in thought. "She came to me a short while ago and I fed her again. She said that she tried to wake you up, but you wouldn't move. And she also said that she didn't want you looking for her..." The teacher responded hesitantly, that last bit of information causing Mono's heart to skip a beat. He couldn't comprehend what he was hearing. Was she getting herself into trouble?</p><p> </p><p>"Thank you, ma'am." He quickly expressed his gratitude for the information and then let her be, jogging back to the elevator with concern covering his face. He didn't know where she could be... He tried to think about her personality, how she had a tendency to get distracted wherever they went together. Maybe she had gone to the playground outside? It's the only thing he could imagine.</p><p>With his idea set in his mind, Mono rode the elevator all the way to the first floor. He walked to the front door and noticed that it was open, so he protruded the outside world once again. After heading down the steps, he caught sight of a small figure on one of the swings. It was Six. She had had head drooped and her hands loosely gripping the rope on either side. Her legs dangled and swung effortlessly. He decided to approach her after silently observing for a minute.</p><p> </p><p>The closer he got to her, the more clear her humming became. He was reluctant to disturb her peace, but what if she needed him and he wasn't here? "Um..." He mumbled, hearing her voice stop abruptly. When she looked up at him, she twitched uncomfortably and her face flushed pink. Maybe she was avoiding him because she was embarrassed? That did seem like a Six thing to do. "Are you feeling okay? I heard you got hungry again." He tried to make conversation, but she just looked back down at the ground with that blank expression of hers.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm fine. Are you okay?" She replied sarcastically, to which Mono frowned in response. He closed more space between them and found that he was blushing too. He didn't know why, but all of a sudden his heart was racing. He grabbed onto the rope on one side of Six and slid his hand down slowly, nudging her hand playfully.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm okay now that I have you with me. I was worried when I woke up and didn't see you anywhere." He changed the subject, not wanting to focus on himself since the girl looked so upset. Why did she never want to talk about her feelings? Did she have something to hide, or did she just not trust him? "I had a nightmare...that's probably why you couldn't wake me up." He admitted this shamefully and moved behind Six, pulling the ropes back and letting go to give the swing some momentum.</p><p> </p><p>Six glanced over her shoulder at Mono, kicking her legs in synchronization, back and forth, back and forth. "What was it about?" After questioning him, she turned her head back around and patiently stared at her lap.</p><p> </p><p>Mono bit the inside of his cheeks, stressing about what her reaction might be to his dream. If he told her, she would probably think he was afraid of her turning on him, which he wasn't... His mind was just twisted; it turned all of his memories into bad things. "It wasn't really anything too scary... I have nightmares a lot; that's partly why I haven't slept well in a long time." He was hoping his answer was enough to satisfy Six—from the looks of things, she wasn't upset or unfulfilled. Then again, she was probably distracted; she had a lot on her mind too, it seemed. "Did you sleep well?"</p><p> </p><p>"Stop it..." The girl suddenly interrupted his spiel, whimpering silently and slipping off of the swing seat. "I was worried about you... Why did you do that to me? I thought you were never waking up." Her words came out distressed and angry, but just the fact that she was saying these things made Mono understand her a little more. She was shaking, and her fists were balled up at her sides as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. "You're acting like nothing's wrong... I hate it. I get wanting to be optimistic, but you're just in denial. You're driving me crazy..."</p><p> </p><p>The boy stood in silence as he listened to her complaints, having no reaction because of how surprised he was that she was speaking her mind so freely. Had she felt this way the whole time they'd been together?</p><p>Mono walked over to Six slowly, trying to comfort her by putting his hand on her lower back. "I didn't mean to scare you. I'm not invincible to my fears, you know. Just because I don't express it...doesn't mean I'm not afraid. I'm trying to be brave for you, for both of us. I can't bear putting you through anymore pain." It wasn't an apology by all means, but it was an explanation. They were two different people, with two different methods of coping. Maybe hearing this would be reassuring to Six rather than withering; her faith in him was already so distorted by her beliefs, and he wanted to change that desperately.</p><p> </p><p>Six turned to face him after his speech, though she was definitely not mentally well. She was still trembling. "Next time...you better tell me when you're scared. Put your own needs first from now on, or else I'm gonna get seriously...<em>pissed</em>." She punched his chest in frustration and then held onto his shoulders, leaning against him as he wrapped his arms around her.</p><p> </p><p>"You said a bad word..." He commented on her tantrum in an attempt to lighten the mood, but she lifted her head and glared at him in response. Feeling the pressure of her demands, he smiled nervously and embraced her once again, holding the back of her head and lovingly massaging it to relax her. "Okay, I get it. No more hiding from my problems...or hiding them from you." He agreed to her terms despite his conscience being anything but clear. At this point, he really thought he would do anything to make her happy; if that meant making himself happy first, he might struggle, but he'd try nonetheless.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If you didn't see the note at the top, comment your favorite moment! </p><p>My absolute favorite moment to write during this chapter has to be when Six finally explodes at the end there. It was a really emotional moment for them both.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Six</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Mono and Six are more alike than they think, but a few life threatening situations can make it seem like just the opposite.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I had to finish this😭I felt too bad about making you guys wait. The inflammation in my wrist still isn't gone but I felt so guilty for not being able to work on this :( </p><p>I'm gonna try to soothe my carpal tunnel before I work on my next update because I don't want to permanently damage my hand— apparently it's already severe because my fingers and arm have been going numb when I flex my wrist too much. I'll try to keep you guys posted in the comments if you're curious ❤️</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mono realized their occasional bickering was just something he couldn't control. They were so completely different down to their cores, so he didn't blame Six or himself for these moments. They always bounced back and forgave one another anyway.</p><p>They went back inside the school after enjoying their sweet moment together and tried to get more rest. Six wouldn't let go of Mono, because she didn't want him to have anymore nightmares. She was protecting him, even in his sleep. And it worked...despite how shaken up he was.</p><p>When he woke up several more hours later, he looked down at Six, who was pretty much laying on top of him, and saw that she was already awake. He was pretty sure she didn't notice his eyes being open, because she was staring at the door blankly. He broke the ice by bringing his free hand to her head and massaging her temple to loosen her muscles—she was pretty tense no matter what. "Did you sleep well?" He drowsily spoke up, causing Six to flinch a bit and look up at him.</p><p> </p><p>"I guess so. I haven't gotten hungry again." She replied quietly, and instead of getting up now that they were both awake, she laid her head back down against Mono's chest. "It's warm... I don't want to leave." Though it was technically a complaint, the boy was taken aback by her bluntness... He didn't know why he was surprised; it was Six, after all.</p><p> </p><p>     "Six..." He muttered and lifted himself up so he could see her more efficiently, using his arms to prop his weight. When she looked into his eyes curiously, their faces were close once again. He had flashbacks to earlier when she kissed his cheek, and he didn't know how to react because of it. "We should probably..." He trailed off his train of thought because of the awkwardness, averting his gaze from her direction. He couldn't get his heart to stop racing, but in the end, he didn't have to worry because Six removed herself from his personal space.</p><p> </p><p>"The teacher left our coats in here a little while ago... That's why I was awake." The girl changed the subject and slipped off of the bed, heading over to the door and grabbing her yellow attribute. After unfolding it, she slipped it on over her body and pulled the hood over her head to achieve her everso-mysterious look. "Well? What are you waiting for?" She glanced over at Mono when she finished dressing and furrowed her brows in speculation, puzzled at his ability to change motive so quickly.</p><p> </p><p>Mono blinked in realization when she rushed him to act, joining her by the door in no time. He slipped his coat on and buttoned it twice over his chest. "We should leave her a note of appreciation so we don't have to run around and look for her." He suggested and surveyed the room for a pencil or pen. Eventually, he found a marker, which was a fine substitute.</p><p> </p><p>"I..." Six froze for a moment, squatting down next to an isolated piece of paper and placing her hands over her knees patiently. "I have trouble reading and writing..." She admitted this ashamedly, expecting Mono to make fun of her or at least tease her for her lack of education.</p><p> </p><p>"What? Really? But it's so...easy." He replied nonchalantly, but on the inside he was thinking about how adorable Six was when she was mellow, like right now. He didn't understand until after seeing her reaction how bad of an idea it was to patronize her in a room with possible weapons.</p><p> </p><p>She twitched from the anger after hearing his awestruck response, glaring up at him threateningly. "Okay?! Well, it's not for me, so shut up!" She aggressively replied and stood up straight, grinding her teeth to choke back the urge to argue with him.</p><p> </p><p>The boy ignored her for the time being so he didn't upset her anymore and crouched next to the piece of paper, messily writing a goodbye and thank-you note to the woman; she had helped them tremendously, after all. When he was done, he stood back up and looked at Six, who appeared to be interested in what he had written, but went straight back to pouting when he was near her again. "I'll teach you little by little, if that's alright with you." He didn't know why he was offering this when she probably didn't want to feel inferior to him, but it was the least he could do to make her feel better.</p><p> </p><p>Six sheepishly made eye contact with Mono and nodded subtly, portraying herself very innocently despite what he already knew about her vicious nature. "You're just perfect in every way, aren't you?" She whispered this as she took the lead and exited the room, her face flushed from her shyness.</p><p> </p><p>Mono felt those butterflies come back when she complimented him with such restraint, and he had to force his legs to move after a moment. Did she mean it, or was she being sarcastic? Regardless, he felt energized from hearing such a thing come from her mouth. "We should climb down the rope so we don't run into anyone...just to save daylight." He tried to forget about her complacency, but it was difficult since she still looked so sweet in his perspective. It was definitely misleading.</p><p> </p><p>     Although she was clearly awkward about their previous interaction, Six glanced behind her shoulder and nodded at Mono, acknowledging his suggestion. She then jogged over to the window where they first entered yesterday and got ready to hoist the boy up onto the windowsill. When he was in front of her, she assisted him in jumping and then reached her hands up so he could grab her and pull her up. After a moment, he finally mustered enough strength to pull her weight, which left her extremely close to him once again. She was blushing, and he could just barely tell because of the shadow from her coat.</p><p>After a moment of awkward silence, she shoved him out of the way and climbed out of the window, using the rope to start making her way down to the entrance. Mono shook off the whiplash and quickly followed her lead, though he was still shocked at her speed. By the time he was down on the ground (finally), Six was already messing with the soccer ball, kicking it thoughtlessly. He decided to watch her from afar.</p><p> </p><p>"Is something bothering you?" He questioned her to break their tension, but her reaction took him by surprise; she gasped and tripped over the ball, probably because she had been preoccupied just like he imagined. Thankfully she caught herself before falling over.</p><p> </p><p>"Stop reading my mind..." She complained in response, keeping her head down as she approached Mono. Although she was being a bit stubborn, she grabbed his hand gently, which put a smile on the boy's face.</p><p> </p><p>Mono led Six to the fence they had crawled through in an opening, keeping her close and not letting go of her. Once they were back in front of the dangerous building with all of the pulleys, "There's no way we can reach that window... What should we do?" He asked with furrowed brows, straining his neck by looking up so steeply.</p><p> </p><p>"Don't you have superpowers? Why don't you try using them?" She let go of his hand and folded her arms across her chest, backing away to watch his attempt.</p><p> </p><p>The boy stared at her with concerned eyes, feeling small and unprepared. He didn't know if he could control these powers yet. He didnt want to hurt Six again, so he cautiously held his arms out in a scooping motion, closing his eyes to concentrate all of his strength. He somehow managed to tear the lid off of the garbage bin blocking the fence, and with his telepathy he transferred it over to the other garbage bin, giving them a makeshift ramp to climb up. Although he was successful in his plan, he ended up feeling very weak after using his power, which forced him into a slightly paralyzed state where he couldn't stand up.</p><p> </p><p>Six was at his aid in no time, though she couldn't actually do much to help besides comforting him. She sat by him and held his hands, squeezing them to hopefully help Mono gain some feeling back in his body. "Hey, we have to keep moving... Let me help you." She was being logical, but regardless it felt unfair. She was practically carrying him as she walked him to the garbage.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm...I'm okay, Six." He tried to reassure her and move on his own, but as soon as he took a step out of her reach, he stumbled and groaned in pain. He was numb after his fall, but it was kind of a nice buff. Thankfully he had Six to drag him up the ramp.</p><p> </p><p>"You're not okay. Stop trying to show off, stupid." Following her insult, she motioned for him to boost her up to the window, which he was thankfully able to do. When she was up at an advantageous point, she reached down with one hand and let him jump and grab onto her arm. She had to use every bit of her strength to hoist him up into the room, growling in her struggle. Their success was anything but graceful, however, because her immense focus on pulling him up caused them both to fall down into the room uncomfortably from the built up energy.</p><p>They lay on the floor next to each other, not moving off of their backs since they were both stupefied by the previous chaotic events they had to go through to get here. Eventually, Six managed to twist onto her side and check on Mono. She didn't normally express her anxiety, so she appeared calm, but she was truly nervous after catching sight of the boy's bleeding nose. Had he overexerted himself from using only a small amount of power? She felt guilty for even suggesting it now...</p><p>She was glad Mono was at least conscious, and he didn't seem to be in pain or anything. Since his condition reassured her, she gently wiped the blood from his face and smeared it on the wooden floor to get it off of her fingers. Thankfully, she didn't get a splinter from it. "I was wondering... I know it might be dangerous considering how you are right now, but is there any way you could make the TV in the next room connect to the one in the woods? Like, to teleport." She knew her suggestion was a bit risky, but Mono did seem to take interest in it, even if it was impossible.</p><p> </p><p>"I could if they were turned on, but the one in the woods is off. It's probably better to go through this building again..." He lifted himself up after getting his head to stop pounding, using Six's help to steady his feet and stand straight. "Come on. I have an idea." He walked carefully to the room next door with the TV, trying to keep his eyes averted from it. Six stuck right by his side just in case he felt weak again. Once they were in the large room with all of the obstacles and ropes, he took the lead on the balance beam and jumped across. Six jumped after him quickly and clung to his arm, her expression full of concern.</p><p> </p><p>"This floor feels so unstable..." She remarked nervously, following Mono to the next room with the dangling TV, which she had previously rode up to this level when they were here before. "What are you thinking?"</p><p> </p><p>     "I'm thinking...you help me up to that TV and I cut the other rope so it drops me down." He explained his plan briefly, but Six still had a cautious look in her eyes, even backing away from him in her confusion.</p><p> </p><p>     "Okay, and what about me?" She asked rudely, folding her arms across her chest in discontent. She could see a strange glint in his eye, one that screamed danger. She immediately knew what he was planning. "No. No way."</p><p> </p><p>     Mono held onto her shoulders and stared at her with his usual warm and caring gaze, pulling her hood down so she could see well. "Six, I'll catch you. You can trust me. I'll even use my powers if I have to, but I really don't see any other way." He tried to reassure her, putting his own safety on the line for her to feel better.</p><p> </p><p>     Six felt her stomach fill up with butterflies when Mono held her so purposefully, so carefully. She glanced at his hands and then back into his eyes, her face heating up substantially since he was embarrassing her. "Fine..." She pouted and grabbed his shoulders as well, turning him toward the TV and then getting ready to boost him up. Although she was being hasty, he didn't complain at all and took advantage of her compliance, using her boost to grab onto the TV and climb up.</p><p>     Once he was situated, he pulled out the pocket knife he had picked up earlier in the day and reached out to the rope connected to the load at the bottom. Before he knew it, he was falling with the TV and had to grab onto the rope to stay safe. Unfortunately he stumbled off of the pile because of the impact and ended up hitting his head pretty hard.</p><p>     After Six helped Mono, she tried to find a way to get to the lower level so she didn't have as long of a fall. Eventually, her brightest idea was to break the floor by stomping on it—while it did work pretty well, it wasn't a flawless solution. She ended up falling through the floor and breaking the floor below it as well because of the weight of the wood; she was just barely able to grab onto a ledge, but her hands were sweaty, and she didn't have a good grip. She panicked and looked around for something that might be better for her to grab onto, but the wood was all she had.</p><p>     Down below, Mono was barely able to stand after his hard fall. She kicked her legs to try and get her strength up and lift her body, but it only made her situation worse. In the next few seconds, her hands slipped off of the wood and she was plummeting to the ground with a loud squeal. Despite his pain being pretty intolerable, Mono forced himself to run over to where she was falling and prepared himself to catch her by lowering his center of gravity. The combination of her velocity, weight and the force caused him to shrink when she landed safely in his arms. He collapsed to his knees panting, but at least she was okay.</p><p>     Six was frozen in shock momentarily and then clung to Mono tightly, whimpering but not quite shedding a tear. "I almost died, Mono—!" She was under a lot of stress from that previous mishap. She was realizing how stupid she was; why did she think breaking the already unstable floor was a good idea? And yet, at the same time, she wasn't sure she could have ever forced herself to jump from that height, so maybe falling was her blessing in disguise. The fear was definitely uninvited.</p><p> </p><p>     "I caught you, it's okay. I've got you." Mono was wincing with every movement he made, and yet he was still worried about Six; she was shaking in his arms, so how could he not be?</p><p>     He felt assured of her safety when she finally managed to pull away and make eye contact with him. He didn't have time to shy away now that their faces were so close again, and it seemed, neither did she. Mono expected her to try and hide her emotions like always, but she smiled and laughed weakly, her lips trembling despite her happiness. He didn't want her to feel shaken up anymore, but he had to put her down...his legs were numb and he didn't think it was wise to hold her anymore.</p><p> </p><p>     The girl stood up with wobbly legs and went to help Mono up carefully. She knew he was in pain, so she wanted to return his kindness and compassion and protect him. "C-Come on...we need to get to the shore. Just a little more and we can rest on the way across the water." She urged him forward, once again carrying most of his weight as they walked out of the room.</p><p> </p><p>"Six, I don't think I can make it..." Mono stumbled through the pub area, barely able to stay on his feet.</p><p> </p><p>Every time he showed any sort of weakness, Six just propped him up more on her shoulder; she wasn't letting him fall. "I'll freakin' hold you if I have to." She warned the boy, hoisting him up over the window and then getting herself over it effortlessly. When she reached the other side, she saw Mono clenching onto his shirt. She hadn't even realized he was bleeding...his stomach must have been punctured by something during the fall...or maybe it was something else.</p><p>She didn't care about the reason, she just squatted down and lifted the boy up into her arms like he had held her when she fell minutes ago. He was heavy, but she wasn't all scrawny. "The hell did you do to make yourself bleed?" She asked in a slightly threatening voice.</p><p> </p><p>"Stop saying curses..." Mono grunted from the pain, but he still had the audacity to mention something so not-worth-talking-about. His sense of urgency was all turned around.</p><p> </p><p>"I can say them if I want. Who cares anyway? There are no adults around." She replied childishly after his complaint, though she was still treating him like a princess as she carried him outside to the shore.</p><p> </p><p>The boy was relieved when Six set him down on the sand, mostly since his wound was on fire, but also partly since he hated having a potty mouth in his ear. "They're bad luck. Why do you think they're called curse words?" He explained his reasoning as he unbuttoned his jacket and pulled his tucked shirt out.</p><p> </p><p>Six arched her eyebrows when he replied with such a stupid excuse, unable to believe he would fall for something like that. "What? Did your parents teach you that or something?"</p><p> </p><p>Mono felt his heart skip a beat when Six uncovered a sensitive memory. His expression went dark and he shook with anxiety. "When my father got really sick and couldn't work to make a living, my mother would come and yell at him for leaving her alone. He was dying in the hospital, and I was scared. He told me that the words my mom was saying were curses, and that they can hurt other people. I believed him, because he would cry when she left." He vented his vivid memory to Six, holding his hand over the scar on his abdomen. It wasn't a deep cut, but the debris he fell in must have scratched him pretty good.</p><p> </p><p>Contrary to what Six was previously emoting, her expression was completely remorseful after hearing Mono's story. It pulled at her heartstrings, so much that she knelt next to him and blankly stared at him as he averted his gaze. "I'm sorry, I—I had no idea... I won't say anymore bad words. I promise." Her guilt was written all over her face, and when he looked back at her, he could see it. He frowned at her nervousness and held his hand out, extending his pinky so she could lock in her promise. He felt an overwhelming relief when she wrapped her pinky around his. "I really am sorry... You don't hate me, do you?"</p><p> </p><p>The boy shook his head slowly and forced himself to stand up, suppressing the need to cry out in pain. "I could never hate you, Six." He sighed through his nostrils and walked over to the makeshift raft, pushing it with his feet since bending over was difficult. Once Six was helping him push, it was floating across the water in no time; they quickly climbed onto it and took a seat, their bodies right beside one another to keep them warm.</p><p>Mono did feel better after Six apologized, or at least he thought he did. But now that he had all of this time to think, think, think, he felt like he was going to implode. Not from anger, but from disappointment. He shouldn't have said anything else about his father... That opinion was engraved in his brain, and it made him hunch over in a depressive state as they rode the raft across the calm waters. Six didn't speak another word, but she coddled him by wrapping her arms around him comfortingly, easing some of his unbearable emotions.</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>After the stressful events in the Pale City, Mono and Six take comforting solace in the woods where they can finally feel free from any kind of danger. Inside the dead hunter's house, they have a heartwarming night together.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>quicker update this time 💪🏻😌 still took forever but I still love writing this book and its gonna go on for a long ass time ❤️</p><p>six and mono are both dumb and that is pretty much confirmed by now </p><p>like; you'd think with how much six insults Mono's intelligence she would be a little smarter herself 😭</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After the raft returned to the other side of the shore, Mono had gotten his bleeding to finally stop by applying pressure. Six was still worried about him, but he didn't show anymore weakness.</p><p>He walked with her up the sandy shore back to the hunter's shed and had her help getting up since he didn't want to make the bleeding start again. Then, he pulled her up in return. They hopped down from the window together and then cautiously approached the broken door, peeking outside to see that the hunter was still laying there lifelessly.</p><p> </p><p>"Thank goodness... For some reason I thought he would be gone." Six sighed in relief and pushed through the jagged planks in the door. Her rage got the best of her when she stood next to the motionless man, the one who made her live in fear of the outside world. She knew he couldn't do anymore damage, but her urge to kick his dead body to extinguish her flame was too strong, so she did it.</p><p> </p><p>The longer she smacked her skinny legs against him, the harder the impact became. Eventually, Mono had to restrain her and pull her away because of how disturbing her vengeful grunting was. "He's not going to hurt you anymore." He reassured her urgently, frowning at how worked up she had gotten. "Come on, let's go get your music box. That's what you want, isn't it?"</p><p> </p><p>Six seemed to calm down relatively quickly when Mono mentioned their goal, stopping her struggling almost immediately. After a moment, he let go of her and she turned toward him with soft eyes, even putting her hood down to show how comfortable she was with him around. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." He didn't know for sure, but he thought this emotion she was showing was reminiscent of shame. He was proud of her for apologizing.</p><p> </p><p>     "I get it, you're angry. I would be too if someone held me captive." He replied in an understanding tone, but he realized after speaking that she had been captured not one time, not two, but three times. At least, that's all he knew about; knowing her recklessness, it could be more. "Um...you know, maybe we shouldn't talk about it."</p><p> </p><p>     "Yeah, you're right." Six agreed quickly, her expression painted with annoyance and her lips pursed in a pout. She held her hand out and felt remarkably better when Mono grabbed it, and even more when they finally walked away from the hunter.</p><p> </p><p>     They walked through the woods together, back through all of the traps, trials and tribulations they'd already faced together. Some were more dangerous than others. By the time they made it back to the hunter's house, the sun was already down because of how late into the year it was.</p><p>Mono was pretty weak, and he went to sit in the one room in the house that wasn't extremely creepy, which just so happened to be a room upstairs that he'd found a hat in yesterday. To his surprise, Six parted ways with him only to return with bandages. a fleece blanket and her trademark devilish little smile. "Hey, Six. You look happy." He greeted her calmly, mirroring her welcomed glee since it more or less rubbed off on him.</p><p> </p><p>The girl took a seat next to him and placed the blanket and bandages down, then tugging her raincoat off so she was more comfortable. "I got these for your tummy." She introduced the bandages and started unwrapping them, tearing off a piece that would go around his torso several times. "Take your shirt off so I can do the thing." She demanded, waiting impatiently as he obliged.</p><p> </p><p>Once he had his coat and shirt off, he sat up straight and held his arms away from his body. "Thanks for looking out for me. The pain mostly went away, but this will help me to not get an infection." Mono tried to brace himself as Six wrapped the bandages around his wound, but the pressure did make it hurt more. Hew knew this would be good long-term, but it was a burning kind of pain that he couldn't just ignore.</p><p> </p><p>     When Six was done, she looked into his teary eyes and cupped his cheeks. He was confused why she was so close, and why she wasn't moving, and honestly thought she was going to kiss him or something, until she brushed her thumb over a scratch on his face. "Tiny scars always hurt the most." She remarked quietly and then pulled away slightly, noticing Mono's flustered expression.</p><p> </p><p>     "Y-You know, behind all the usual mud and guts, you're really pretty." He changed the subject, surprised at himself for being able to get out such a ballsy compliment. He didn't know how she would react since she was a particularly indifferent girl, but it lit his eyes up when he realized she was blushing. He really expected her to hit him or something.</p><p> </p><p>     "Thanks... Nobody has ever told me that before." She replied with a steady composure despite her need to hide her face. "You're not so bad-looking either. I used to think you were ugly, but you kinda grew on me." She teasingly complimented him back, a cheeky grin forming on her lips.</p><p> </p><p>     Mono didn't really know whether she was joking or not, but either way it was just nice to see that blissful happiness. He kept telling himself that, if she was smiling, it would cause all of his worrying to cease in turn. And...to be honest, it was true. "I love seeing you smile." He admitted shamelessly, which evoked a reaction from Six that was completely unexpected.</p><p> </p><p>     "Oh, I get it now. You're spoiling me with attention so I'll be nicer to you... Well, it's kind of working." She responded boldly to his advances and unfolded the blanket she had found, spreading it out over his legs. "You need to rest."</p><p> </p><p>     The boy was taken aback by her ability to switch so quickly, but he wasn't going to disobey her since he didn't want to see an example of her bad side. He clutched the blanket in his hands and averted his gaze from her, the nervous feeling coming back—the one that tickled him every time he thought of Six as...more than just a close friend, the feeling that occurred whenever she playfully kissed his cheek to cheer him up, and most importantly, when she took such good care of him, like now.</p><p> </p><p>     When he made eye contact with her again, she looked puzzled at his behavior. She even seemed a bit disappointed since he showed such a complacency. "Mono? Are you okay?" She uttered these words unknowing of his racing heart and shaking hands, unknowing of his desire to push away all feelings toward her.</p><p> </p><p>     "Six, can I..." He trailed off his thought, wondering in his imagination how he could show some sort of love without upsetting her, specifically on her face, which he knew now that she hated. After pondering on it for a moment, he realized that he didn't care if his idea was stupid. "Can you come closer?" He asked timidly, mentally preparing himself for her wrath as she listened to his request.</p><p>     When Six was sat next to him on her knees, he hesitantly reached his hands up to her face, which, at first, seemed to make her uncomfortable. She warmed up to his touch as he cupped her cheeks like she had done to him moments ago. He didn't think it was the right setting for a kiss on the lips, so he changed direction and lifted her bangs up gently, placing a kiss on her forehead that could mean plenty of things, but definitely his protection. It was his promise of tomorrow, of the day after and of next year.</p><p> </p><p>     Six pulled away from him slowly after he let go of her face, which was now burning from embarrassment. She put her hand over her forehead and gripped onto her hair slightly, only to let go seconds later. "What was that?" She asked obliviously, to which Mono reacted with an admiring smile. "This is why I don't take my hood off around you. Are you trying to kill me? Like a sneak attack but with...um...what's the word? A...aff..." She struggled with her words; she had admitted to him earlier that her vocabulary wasn't the best, but now he was actually witnessing it firsthand.</p><p> </p><p>     "Affection?" He tried to finish her thought, and felt a tad accomplished when she nodded. "I'm not trying to kill you, Six. It's not my intention to embarrass you, I just want you to feel loved and cared for. Because you are." He didn't even know how he got all of this out in the open, but he sure did feel a weight lifted off his shoulders. Someone like Six...someone like him. He was curious if it could ever work out.</p><p> </p><p>     "Love...? This is what it feels like to be loved? But this is stressful." She replied awkwardly, and Mono couldn't help but chuckle in response to her honesty. At least she didn't seem to understand the gravity of his words.</p><p> </p><p>     "That's probably because you're antisocial. You'd better get used to it." He warned her about his upcoming plans, except they probably wouldn't be planned. He would just show his love in random waves, like she did. "You didn't get mad at me for touching your face, you know?"</p><p> </p><p>     Six blinked in astonishment when he brought up their conversation back at the school. She had clearly completely forgotten about it. "Well...it's fine I guess. It felt nice." She explained her reasoning and moved right up against Mono, stealing a little bit of the blanket so she could stay cozy too. "You should stop talking now and sleep before I make you. Don't blame me if you wake up with a fever cuz you decided it was a good idea to be stupid." After she finished talking, she waited for Mono to comply and lay his body down on the floor, holding a hand over his abdomen to protect it.</p><p> </p><p>"You aren't going to lay down?" He asked curiously, concerned that Six didn't seem very emotionally present. Maybe she just had too much on her mind. He didn't want to force her if she was uncomfortable. "It's okay. Just make sure you sleep eventually." He put a comforting hand on her arm and faced the ceiling, exhaling from his nostrils to relax his body.</p><p> </p><p>The girl watched over Mono as he slept, wanting to make sure he was both healthy and safe. She felt responsible for his previous nightmare, and based on his reaction, she knew he had some kind of trauma associated with the dream world, or maybe just whatever he'd seen. She wanted to protect him from it.</p><p>The first time she saw him stir up in his sleep that night, she grabbed his hand and squeezed it. Her knees were up against her chest, and she was hunched over trying to fall asleep as well. Before long, she was disturbed by Mono squirming, seemingly uncomfortable. She put her legs down and drowsily pulled his peaceful sleeping head onto her lap, just so it was elevated and more conventional. After this, she didn't remember anything else from before she fell asleep.</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Mono realizes he's got it worse than he originally thought, and ends up weaker because of a fever that he couldn't control. Thankfully, he has Six to care for him.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>just a warning, there will be spoilers for the mobile prequel Very Little Nightmares in this chapter. Enjoy!</p><p>bonus: nome</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>Mono woke up after a good night of sleep; he didn't have any long nightmares, just one short one. He felt pretty cold and raspy, though, as if he had been running around on a freezing winter day. When he opened his eyes, he was confused at the surface his head was on, and then he realized it was Six's lap when he saw the skirt material. He didn't notice until he pulled away that she had kept her hand over his shoulder, and that she was still asleep...in a really uncomfortable position. She was bent over but still sitting up. He wondered if she had taken care of him even while he was asleep.</p><p>Although he was glad she was sleeping a lot, he didn't want her to hurt her neck or back sitting in such a weird way, so he gently shook her. To his surprise, she awoke with a gasp, likely because she was worried about sensory things that felt different. When she looked over at him, she seemed relieved.</p><p> </p><p>"Sorry. I didn't even notice you moved..." She fiddled with her fingers awkwardly as she apologized, though Mono didn't think she even needed to explain herself. He shook his head as if refusing her apology and then combed back some of her hair with his fingers.</p><p> </p><p>"Are you feeling okay? Like, your back—" He asked urgently, causing Six to look at him with awestruck eyes and stop reacting anxiously.</p><p> </p><p>She grabbed his hand from her head and interlocked their fingers together, offering a faint blush and a small nod to answer him simply. "You looked like you were scared, so I moved you." She tried to get away with answering the question by changing the subject, but Mono just continued staring at her with his intense eyes until she replied again. "I'm fine. I was more worried about you." She finally complied, frowning as she used her other hand to feel his forehead. He looked sweaty, so naturally she was concerned.</p><p>When she pulled her hand off, she moved it to his cheek, and then his neck. "I can't tell if you have a fever, but you're burning up." She seemed worried at first, but then furrowed her eyebrows. "I told you so last night, didn't I? You were having so much fun embarrassing me, too." She spoke with a cunning smile, wanting Mono to understand what she was implying.</p><p> </p><p>"If you say I'm hot then I probably do have a fever, because I've felt cold for a while." He ignored her teasing and supported her belief, which was pretty much confirmed. He didn't feel sick or anything, just weak. He hoped this was because of his exhausted powers and not because of his wound, because an infection would be atrociously difficult to cure with the condition of the world being the way it was.</p><p> </p><p>     Six had her laugh, but she ended up feeling guilty about her cockiness after Mono admitted to actually not feeling great. She moved away from him and grabbed his shirt, then helping him put it back on so he was at least a little warmer. "As much as I want to get the he-" she cut herself off, likely because she was close to cursing, and then resumed with better phrasing, "As much as I want to leave this place...it's not a good idea to be outside when you're sick. We should stay another day, or at least until you feel better." She suggested calmly, smoothing out his messy bed hair to entertain herself.</p><p> </p><p>     Mono looked up at Six as she became occupied with his hair, silently admiring her mannerisms. This is how he knew she was a selfless person. She wanted to leave this place even before they met, but now she was sacrificing her chances in order to take care of him. And she was already censoring herself for him, too. He didn't know what to say to express his gratitude for her thoughtfulness, and so he settled for a hug instead, pulling the girl into his arms and squeezing gently. He rested his head on her shoulder sheepishly, and eventually she started petting him and comforting him like a puppy.</p><p> </p><p>Six didn't seem to mind hugging him, but it went on longer than she'd expected—about five minutes to be exact—and she was getting strangely anxious. "You know, for someone who constantly talks about wanting to protect their best friend, you're like...a huge baby." She sighed impatiently, but regardless of how she felt, she just held Mono even tighter for a moment, and then finally pulled away. "You're gonna be okay. No use crying over burnt down houses...or however the saying goes." She patted his shoulders reassuringly, trying to pump him up so he wasn't as gloomy.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm pretty sure that's incorrect...but it's the thought that counts." The boy smiled against his will, chuckling at her cluelessness. He felt happier, but when he laughed a sharp pain shot up his abdomen and he held onto his stomach with trembling arms. "Maybe I should lay back down..." He winced, grateful for Six helping him onto his back since the burning sensation was making him tense up, which in turn made the pain worse.</p><p> </p><p>"I wish I could do something to help... I don't feel right leaving you alone." She reached out to grab his hand, but he coincidentally went to reach for hers at the same time. It was awkward. Very, very awkward.</p><p> </p><p>     But even after their hands bumped, even though he was nervous, too, Mono grabbed her hand determinedly and rubbed her palm to reassure her that he was also apprehensive about what just happened, that she wasn't alone. He thought they must have been extremely in-sync to have reached at the same time like that. It was weird in a creepy but cool way. "I know you're worried about me...but I also don't want you to leave. It could be dangerous." He tried to sway her thinking from the idea of leaving the house, but she seemed pretty adamant on wanting to help him. He was positive he couldn't stop her even if he wanted to.</p><p> </p><p>     Six stared at their hands pressed together so purposefully and made a somewhat guilty expression, slowly tearing herself away from Mono as if she felt ashamed to even be this close to him. "I have to tell you something..." She looked down at the floor for a moment to collect her thoughts and then made eye contact with Mono again. "You know when we left the school, and you noticed I had something on my mind?" She alluded to their earlier conversation, but was hesitant to mention it, or so it seemed.</p><p> </p><p>     Mono nodded firmly, his eyebrows furrowed in anticipation. "Why? What happened?" He indulged her, feeling suddenly anxious about what news she would tell him.</p><p> </p><p>     "When you were asleep the first time and I got hungry, I went to that woman to ask for food. She could tell I was scared of her, I think, and kept trying to talk to me to calm me down. She told me that she has a daughter my age, but that she had to leave her somewhere far away because of her behavior." Six paused, staring at the ground again since she likely didn't want to go through with her confession.</p><p> </p><p>     "I've met her daughter, but it was a couple years ago when things were normal. She didn't really like me, but then again...nobody really did." Mono added thoughtfully, wondering if his input would comfort Six at all.</p><p> </p><p>     The girl only seemed to frown bigger when she heard his response, and he grew more worried as time progressed. "Remember how I said I helped a girl where I was before this? While I was there, I saw a picture framed on the walls...it was this girl with silver hair stood in front of her mom and dad, and I thought...after the teacher told me about her daughter, the woman's outfit in the photo resembles hers a lot."</p><p>     After she explained her connection with the woman's daughter, Mono was speechless; he didn't know what to say, so he just didn't. "Her daughter had me trapped in that place for a while, until one day that girl I told you about freed me. I eventually was able to get out with her, but... The silver-haired girl was trying to attack her, so I pushed a boulder onto her. When it turned out she didn't die from it, she chased the nice girl off of the cliff, and they both...drowned." After finishing her story, she finally looked back up, though she was nervous to meet Mono's eyes. He didn't seem upset, just a bit mournful.</p><p> </p><p>     "That's...horrible, Six." When he said this, she honestly seemed to think he was referring to her. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. It's too bad Ms. Anne doesn't know, but...if you say she trapped you there, then she must be a bad person. I'm not saying she deserved it, but she hurt you and that other girl..." He tried to sympathize with Six, who was clearly extremely relieved at his kind words.</p><p> </p><p>     "You...have no idea. There were hundreds of kids trapped there. She was making them into dolls for her own entertainment." She didn't hold back anything when admitting this to Mono. She had been traumatized while she was there, but it taught her how to survive.</p><p> </p><p>     Mono forced himself to sit back up, though he was in less pain than before so it turned out to be not such an intimidating sensation. "I can see why you didn't want to talk about it. But it made you feel better, right? To get it off your chest." He offered her a subtle smile to cheer her up and grabbed her arm gently, noticing how desensitized she had gotten from experiencing these horrible things.</p><p>When she came to, she was tearing up and ended up whimpering as she suddenly clung to Mono, making him fall backwards and wince from the impact. He still held her nonetheless, both sad that she was crying and happy that she was venting to him. "What made you want to tell me all of a sudden?" He questioned her out of curiosity, mostly because of how random it was for her to talk about.</p><p> </p><p>She sniffled as she gave herself some space, shaking her head to accentuate her impulsiveness regarding the situation. "Whenever I look at you, I feel guilty about all the bad things I've done. You're just...so kind that it hurts to keep secrets from you." After she explained her reasoning, Mono didn't react much. He was fixated on her as he propped himself up weakly, like a small child seeing a butterfly for the first time. "And um, also..." Six suddenly continued, her face flushed because of her sheepishness. "When you got upset at me earlier, I felt like I owed it to you...to tell you about my past. You've shown that you trust me, and I just...wanted to do the same for you."</p><p> </p><p>     The boy didn't know how to respond to this. Six was opening up to him bit by bit, and even seemed eager to have this mutual respect. He didn't want her to feel pressured to talk about her past, but she was so willing, and he almost let it go over his head. He couldn't peel his eyes off of her, no matter how long he stared, and it only increased the awkwardness because of his lack of drive to speak.</p><p> </p><p>     "A-Aren't you going to say something?" She asked this in a disturbed tone, appearing disappointed at Mono's silence. She was about to complain, by the looks of things, but before she could utter any words, a boom of thunder shook the entire house and their frail bodies along with it.</p><p>     Once she was recovered from the slight shock, she grumbled in annoyance and sat up slowly, then moving closer to Mono and checking on him; she held his head carefully since he'd just hit it on the floor. The storm was so loud, and neither of them was enjoying it one bit. Thankfully, they were soon distracted by a Nome that was running frantically towards them, specifically Mono.</p><p> </p><p>     "Hey, little guy... Are you scared?" The boy sat up again to get a better look at the poor thing, shocked when it jumped right into his lap and hid under his shirt. He gave Six a confused look and then lifted his shirt, gently picking the Nome up and hugging it to his chest. "What are these things? This is the first one I've seen...you know, back when I first rescued you." He asked Six curiously, wearing a sweet smile as the tiny creature clung to him.</p><p> </p><p>     Six reached a hand out to the 'thing' and tried to touch it, but before she could, it scurried away and hid behind Mono, peeking out from behind him and trembling. "They used to be kids like us... I don't know where they come from, but there were a lot back at the island I was trapped on." After relaying this information to Mono, she stared at the Nome with disappointed eyes, completely offended by its reaction. "Why is it scared of me...? I didn't do anything to it."</p><p> </p><p>     Mono shrugged and lifted his arm up, letting the Nome hop back into his lap. "Maybe it just needs to get used to you. And...to be fair, you can be pretty intimidating without trying." He answered her honestly, watching as she glared at him in response and folded her arms across her chest.</p><p> </p><p>"I...can't help it." Her angry expression melted into one of sorrow, and she averted her gaze in dismay. After a moment, she stood up and ran off, disappearing from the room and yelling "I'll be back soon" from down the hall.</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Mono goes out to find Six when she doesn't return. When they're back together, it's as if nothing has changed, and yet, everything has changed.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hhhdhshsdbbx I love them😔❤️ I don't have anything else to say</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After Six left the house, Mono tried to think of ways to distract himself, playing with the Nome to calm it down, and even trying to rest more. But it proved very difficult when she wasn't with him.</p><p>     Fifteen minutes passed; he started to get worried, but figured she was just blowing off steam, so he didn't do anything. After the second fifteen minutes passed, he became restless and went to go find her. He stood up carefully and slipped his coat on, then rushing to the kitchen and out through the window. It wasn't storming anymore but still raining pretty hard. He surveyed the surrounding wooded area and couldn't see any sign of Six, however he did find a bowl on the ground that was full of water and overflowing.</p><p>     He went a bit far from the house looking for her, but in the end he couldn't find anything. It was when he was on his way back to the house that he heard distant groaning, and he realized a tree had collapsed nearby. When he approached, he could see Six stuck underneath one of the large branches, but thankfully it didn't look big enough to kill her. Still, though, he wasn't thinking straight and assumed the worst, which caused him to impulsively use his powers to give the tree a violent shove a good 30 feet through the air. For some reason, he didn't feel weak this time, but he was panting pretty heavily.</p><p>In a slight panic, he knelt next to Six and examined her legs, eventually feeling relieved that there were no scars or bruises from the impact. He went to help her up, but she suddenly lifted herself, arms trembling likely from her leftover fear. "What happened out here? You had me worried sick." He asked incredulously, and she stared into his eyes shamefully, with that same shy expression as usual.</p><p> </p><p>"I...wanted to collect water for you to drink. While I waited, I came over here because...I saw pretty flowers and thought you would like them. And then lightning struck the tree. I'm not hurt that bad, just still in shock." Six seemed hesitant in telling the whole truth, but she knew by now that Mono could read her all too well. There was no point in lying to someone like him.</p><p> </p><p>With a sigh, feeling slightly embarrassed at her honesty, Mono stood up with Six holding onto his arm, taking her as quickly as possible to the porch so the rain didn't soak her anymore than she already was. Afterwards, he grabbed the bowl of water from the ground and carried it to the front door, which he then accidentally blew open with his powers (he was unsure why he felt so powerful, but he had a bright assumption that it was because of his heightened emotions, such as love, fear, anger, etc.). After he had forced the door open, he looked down at his hands in astonishment, closing them into fists to get a feel of the tingling sensation.</p><p> </p><p>Six stared at him cautiously, having backed away since she was presumably nervous about him going overboard. "Um..." She muttered, but words evaded her no matter how much she tried to make sense of her thoughts. Mono glanced at her and made her feel weird...somewhat intimidated by his changes. "Thanks for helping me..." She finally spoke coherently, walking inside the house through the now-open door.</p><p> </p><p>Mono followed behind her after picking the bowl back up and handed it over to Six so he could push the door closed. When he turned back around to face her, she was frowning. It was a look he'd never seen from her, so he couldn't place the emotion. "Is something wrong?" He asked, oblivious to her concerns since he had proven thus far to be lacking in self-awareness.</p><p> </p><p>"You...um..." The girl stammered, averting her gaze momentarily before walking closer to him and cupping his cheek with her hand, the other arm skillfully holding the heavy bowl up. "I just thought you looked pretty cool. And also...you're kind of glitching." After she explained her reaction, although he was infatuated by her affection, he was more focused on her fixation with his...issue.</p><p> </p><p>     "Oh. Sorry about that. Wait, did you say I looked cool?" He replied eagerly, having his priorities mixed up because of how happy he was. He didn't know why, but he felt all warm and fuzzy from hearing her compliment, and her hand was really soft as always. "I didn't get tired that time. I think I must be getting used to these powers."</p><p> </p><p>     Six pulled her hand back after a moment so she could hold onto the bowl more safely, and also because she was shivering, probably freezing from of how wet she was. "Yeah. You looked so cool." She smiled at him subtly and then motioned with her head for him to follow her, leading him back to the room they were staying in. Once they were back, she put the bowl down with shaky arms and stumbled onto her knees, dripping with water.</p><p> </p><p>     Mono sat next to her with concerned eyes and rubbed her back supportively. "Why don't you take those wet clothes off?" He suggested, removing his coat and also his shirt, which he then held out to Six. "Here, you can wear it. We'll let your clothes dry and then we can leave." He made a sound plan, and although she seemed reluctant, she nodded and stood up, removing her shirt and skirt. Afterwards, she took Mono's shirt from his extended hand and slipped it on, then rushing towards her raincoat and putting it on as well.</p><p>     After Six was comfortable in some dry clothes, the boy put his coat back on, though it was damp, and took Six's wet attributes to the staircase, hanging them neatly over the railings so they could dry more quickly. Once he was back inside the room with Six, he slowly approached her since she looked upset.</p><p> </p><p>     "I just wanted to take care of you, but you ended up having to help me <em>again</em>..." She silently spoke, squeezing in her skinny arms the Nome that had finally given her a chance. He only hoped that she wasn't squeezing too hard.</p><p> </p><p>"Six...please don't worry about that. It's not a point system or anything. We're friends, so of course I'll help you. Just because you couldn't help me doesn't mean I like you any less." He sat down next to the girl and wrapped an arm around her back, pulling her closer so she didn't feel so guilty.</p><p> </p><p>"I figured you would say that, but still...I wanna help you, too." She frowned and sighed, though she ended up resting her head against Mono regardless of how disappointed she was, loosely holding the Nome now that she was relaxed. It looked up at both of them curiously, eventually returning a hug with its tiny arms. "Can we keep them? They're so cute." She suddenly spoke again, causing Mono to chuckle and gently pet the creature's head.</p><p> </p><p>He ended up not answering because he figured Six would just do whatever she wanted anyway. And besides, he had a lot on his mind since he'd been left with so much time to think while she was out 'collecting water.' He wanted to catch her up on his ideas while she was relatively calm. "Hey, Six, I know you feel bad about the teacher's daughter, but... I honestly think Ms. Anne already knew about her death. She had portraits covered on the wall in that piano room. It completely slipped my mind earlier, but maybe one was of her husband and the other was for her daughter. I dunno... I just figured it might make you feel better if I told you." He rambled about his instinct, but she didn't react much at all. He was concerned for a moment until he realized she was nodding off. He had forgotten until now that she probably didn't sleep well last night because of that painful position she was in.</p><p>Without saying another word, he smiled and slowly lowered himself onto his back, keeping Six in his arm so she would stay asleep. She was basically in a fetal position, but with her head on his chest and the Nome still in her grasp. While Mono didn't feel tired enough to sleep, he stayed quiet so he didn't disturb her peace.</p><p> </p><p>___</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>After an hour or so, Six squirmed and moved away from Mono slightly, which gave him the freedom to move around. He decided to hydrate using the water she had gotten for him, and then he just waited.</p><p> </p><p>She didn't wake up until a few hours later. It was a bit after noon. Her clothes weren't completely dry, but they were almost there, so Mono went ahead and brought them back before she awoke.</p><p>When she finally lifted herself up and stretched her body, the Nome was waiting by her side, just staring at her adorably. "You know, you guys kinda look like pie crust." She spoke groggily, holding her stomach as she imagined different pastries she wished she could enjoy. "You probably don't taste like pie." She added a minute later, glancing over at Mono, who was doing something with his hands, practicing with his powers. It took her a second to notice that the bowl she had brought in was floating in the air because of him.</p><p>"Woah, that's so cool." She crawled over to Mono and clung to his shoulder, but as soon as she moved him, the distraction caused him to let go of the bowl in mid-air. Thankfully before it fell on his head, Six caught it with the help of her quick reflexes. When she looked back at Mono, she saw that he was a blushing mess and hiding his face. "What's wrong? Do you still have a fever?" She asked curiously as she put the bowl on the ground, then leaning closer towards Mono's face to get a better look.</p><p> </p><p>"Y-You just surprised me is all... I was so deep in thought that I didn't see you come over." He explained himself frantically, so stressed that he tried to calm his heartbeat by taking slow, deep breaths. Eventually, he was able to look up at Six, but he was seeing for the first time how close she was to him, which caused him to jump back a bit in embarrassment. She was being completely stoic so he had no idea what to make of her mood. "Uh, Six... D-Did you sleep well?" He tried to change the subject so he didn't feel cornered, and he felt otherworldly relief when the girl huffed out a sigh in frustration.</p><p> </p><p>"Okay, I guess." She replied, unimpressed at his attempt to small-talk. After a minute of silence, she gripped onto Mono's coat and looked down at her hands thoughtfully, eventually speaking once again. "Y'know, it's funny... We went through so much trying to get back here because of my music box, but I haven't thought about it this whole time." She loosened her grip on the fabric and then looked back into Mono's eyes. "It's gotta be...because of you. I don't think I need it anymore, since I have you." She was just talking to herself, but Mono still felt his heart thumping loudly inside his chest.</p><p> </p><p>The more he thought about it, Six hadn't gone to get her music box. She was being serious. He didn't know what to say. His mind was racing with those words 'since I have you' and what they meant. Did she have feelings for him, was this a confession? Or was she just realizing how comfortable she felt around him? He swallowed nervously and put his hands on her shoulders, slowly pulling her into an embrace; it spoke a thousand words that he couldn't, and although Six seemed reluctant, she hugged him back passionately, snickering at his formality, his constant need to be reassured by her actions. It was endearing how much of a baby he was.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Six and Mono are captured and taken by the rumored Ferryman to a new frontier. The Maw, though menacing, welcomes them with open arms. Kids, like them.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Damn I really do be taking forever to update huh. Anyways I love RK sm you guys like, I want to adopt him.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>      After they both got changed, they sat around and rested their bodies a bit more, even though they weren't tired. Six warned Mono about the ocean, that he would probably want to sleep as much of the trip across it as possible.</p><p>     When it turned dark outside, they started traveling. The Nome wouldn't stop following them, but they didn't complain, though, eventually Mono got worried about it and let it hang out in the pocket of his coat. Hand in hand, he and Six trudged through the now muddy forest to try and find the other end of the island. It was so dark that they could barely see, other than the little bit that Six's lighter provided—she had found it inside the hunter's house while they were waiting for night.</p><p>He started to think about what they would do if this alleged Ferryman was made up and didn't take them away from this place... What would they do? Go back to the school and put more stress on Ms. Anne? He didn't want that. Right when he began growing hopeless about the situation, the wind whistled around them. Six's lighter went out and they were surrounded by pitch blackness, with only the rustling of leaves to comfort them. They heard large footsteps, and then, as they were stood back to back to be cautious, suddenly everything got even darker.</p><p> </p><p>___</p><p> </p><p>Not a single thought arose until they both came to, only to find out that they were no longer in the woods, but on a rowboat with a robust man who gave off a very threatening yet protective aura. And, probably the most surprising—it was already daytime. How long had they been passed out?</p><p>Though Mono was still struggling to move, Six was curious and crawled out from underneath the seat in the boat and looked up to the towering figure, clenching her fists to build up some confidence. "Where are you taking us?" She used a loud, projecting voice to make sure the man heard her over the crashing of the waves around them.</p><p> </p><p>The man didn't give her a single glance, he just kept on rowing his boat. "To a trea~cher~ous pla~ce where your hunger can be cured, young lady. Namely, The Maw."</p><p> </p><p>Upon hearing his explanation, Six tensed up, a sense of deep dread looming over her small body, weighing it down. "How do you know about—" she started to question him, but he shushed her and began humming a familiar tune. At first she didn't know where she'd heard it, but soon realized it had played back at The Nest.</p><p> </p><p>"I see ev'rythi~ng, hear ev'rything, alway~s watching. I'm the Ferryman, young lady." His way of speaking was so abstract and creepy, almost as if he was singing very sheepishly. Six was unnerved at his honesty. "I can take you away to a better place. No more pain. Your dest~iny."</p><p> </p><p>Six huffed and rolled her eyes at his strange behavior, then turning back to Mono and kneeling down, reaching a hand out to him to help him up. Eventually, he managed to get off his butt, but when standing up with Six, he was visibly uncomfortable, appearing queasy. "Are you okay?" She asked quietly, hugging him briefly since she herself was still a little shaken up.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm okay...just never been on a boat before." Mono suddenly covered his mouth, trying not to throw up just thinking about how much the boat was rocking. "Urk..." He took a deep breath and held onto the side of the boat tightly, hoping it would ease the sickness a little if at all.</p><p> </p><p>"Pffft-" the girl stifled her laughter as she watched Mono be bested by the ocean, rubbing up and down on his back to comfort him. "You're such a city boy." She remarked playfully, pulling him away from the edge and back to the darkness of their initial waking spot. "It's not so bad when you get used to it. And standing won't help." She held him close, letting him lay against her so he wasn't disturbed by the movement of the boat.</p><p> </p><p>The boy closed his eyes and leaned back weakly, trying to hopefully fall back asleep and avoid any unnecessary puking for the sake of everyone on the boat. He held Six's hand, and though he never really slept anymore, he managed to stay pretty relaxed the rest of the way.</p><p>They didn't know the destination, because the submarine would be moving, so it was a huge surprise when they approached a giant shadow. Six crawled out from underneath the seat and peeked her head over it, staring wide-eyed at the huge dome-like submarine. Mono joined her after a moment to bask in its...largeness, but he was a bit woozy still, so he held onto her.</p><p>The closer they got to the submarine, the more overwhelmed they became. And neither of them knew how to react when the creepy ferryman suddenly grabbed them with ease and lifted them up to a pipe that could act as a ladder.</p><p> </p><p>"Go down until you get to a small window. From there, you'll know what to do." The shadow man informed them sternly, but they were utterly confused.</p><p> </p><p>Six looked down at the water and wondered how they were supposed to survive this. She was about to ask the man, but when she turned her head around again, he was already gone, disappeared. She made eye contact with Mono, her eyebrows furrowedI to accentuate how nervous she was. "How are we even going to-" she was interrupted as she spoke by a loud roaring of the engines and rusted metal of the ship, and all of a sudden, the submarine was rising out of the water.</p><p>With only a moment of hesitation, she nodded at Mono and started crawling down the pipe with him. It was slippery, but they'd had enough experience in the rainy Pale City to deal with it.</p><p> </p><p>It felt like an endless journey; the sun was beating down on them and the salt water splashing on them made their skin dry up. Because of how much distance there was to cover with their tiny bodies, it took around ten minutes to fully descend, and they happened right upon a window that was more like a prison view than anything. They slipped onto the windowsill and helped each other pull the glass up out of the way. Afterwards, they slipped through the iron bars and pulled the glass back down to prevent any flooding.</p><p>Once they had hopped down onto the floor, their ears were drawn to a distant echo of chattering. "Six, who is that?" Mono asked timidly, somewhat hiding behind the girl since she didn't seem to be phased all that much. "A monster?"</p><p> </p><p>"Stop freaking out! How am I supposed to know? We literally just came here for the first time together, and you're asking me about things I don't know." Six shook Mono off of her shoulder and tiptoed to the cracked door in the room, slowly penetrating the dark hallway. Even though she had just gotten annoyed at Mono, the boy clung to her once again, and this time she just rolled her eyes in annoyance. She pulled her lighter out of her yellow coat (she was thankful she still had it) and lit the way for them to see, though very faintly.</p><p>The voices were farther than they originally thought. They walked for a while down the hall, down stairs, and eventually found light beaming through a secret passage in the wall. Once inside, they stepped quietly down the small stairs, only to be met with a small group of children, who were all staring at them. "Mono, you talk to them. I don't know how to talk to people." She shoved him in front of her body, clearly apprehensive about the situation.</p><p> </p><p>"W-Why me? I don't know how either... I'm kinda hated by a lot of people, remember...?" Mono glanced back at Six with worried eyes, but he was startled by approaching footsteps. When he looked back in front of himself, there was a shorter girl in a beige dress, with bandages wrapped around her head. She was holding out her hand patiently, and, with a gulp, he accepted her hand and shook it.</p><p> </p><p>"We probably won't hate you...unless you attack us." She pulled away momentarily and walked back to the campfire, taking a seat next to another kid who had a hump-back.</p><p> </p><p>Once Six felt comfortable, she stood next to Mono and looked at him expectantly, wanting him to say something to them to make things less awkward. After a minute of silence and the crackling of the fire to calm them, Mono grabbed her hand and squeezed it, which embarrassed her, but only because of the other kids and their staring. "This is my friend, Six. We've been...through a lot together." He reluctantly walked towards the group, eventually having the courage to sit down with the others, and with Six.</p><p> </p><p>"It's nice to meet some fresh faces." One kid spoke up, taller than most with an orange overcoat. "Where are you guys from? We're from all over." He made conversation, wanting to make them feel welcome; he had the aura of a leader, and seemed very trustworthy all around.</p><p> </p><p>Mono blinked in surprise at the sudden peep from the kid, glancing at Six, who, although previously shy about their relationship, was clinging to his arm like a baby. He figured she wasn't going to talk about her past, considering she'd barely told him anything. "Um, well, I'm from the Pale City. It's been in ruins for a while but I wanted to try and make things right. I saw Six being captured one night and after I saved her, she stuck with me." He explained his story briefly, and half expected the kids to look at him like he was crazy, talking about the city so casually, but to his surprise, only one of the kids gasped in shock. It was a smaller boy in a dark green, tattered overcoat. Mono saw his reaction and stared at him curiously, wondering if he had been affected by the disaster as well.</p><p>"What happened to you in the Pale City?" He asked this as sweetly as possible, but truth be told he was kind of anxious and it made him energetic, maybe even impatient. When the kid looked away and hid behind the kid in orange, he knew he had overstepped, and felt terrible about it. "Gosh, I'm sorry—don't feel pressured to talk about it. Nobody's forcing you. I was just curious since I lived there." He tried comforting the kid, and it appeared to work, but at the same time, he wasn't speaking.</p><p> </p><p>Then, suddenly, a girl in a pale green with long hair looked towards him; her expression was unreadable...at least, what he could see of it. "He's never even told us about his past. It might take him a while to trust you." She explained his behavior, and Mono nodded insecurely. He worried that he might know him or recognize him in some way, but that would be impossible, right?</p><p> </p><p>"Six, what about you?" The boy in orange made an attempt to change the subject. "Before you met Mono."</p><p> </p><p>Six jumped when she was spoken to, squeezing Mono's arm since she was a bit socially awkward. "It's...a long story. I'd rather not talk about—" she was distracted from finishing her sentence as another kid suddenly entered the same way they had come in. He had jeans on, a blue sweater, long, dark hair and a chain around his ankle. He...was kind of cool-looking. She couldn't stop staring. "Woah..." She whispered to herself as he walked closer, and he looked at her blankly, as if questioning everything about her.</p><p> </p><p>"That's RK. Said he doesn't have a name, so we call him that. He sneaks out of the Janitor's daycare to see us from time to time." The bandaged girl introduced him nonchalantly, but seemed amused at Six's astonishment.</p><p> </p><p>The long-haired girl chuckled, and the boy in green joined her soon enough. They were like two peas in a pod. "Crushing on him already? I guess you're into the mysterious type?"</p><p> </p><p>As soon as Six heard the girl's accusation, she started burning up, and was very close to getting violent, but refrained since Mono was watching her. She simply balled up her fist and clenched hard, shaking her head dismissively. "N-No, I don't have a crush on him..." She folded her arms across her chest in a pout. "I'm not really the romantic type. Don't know if you noticed."</p><p> </p><p>"Hm." The new arrival hummed in response to the conversation; he clearly wasn't interested, and wanted nothing to do with it. Eventually, he walked over to Mono's other side and sat by him quietly, having nothing to contribute.</p><p> </p><p>The kid in orange took note of Six and Mono's expressions and pieced together their confusion. "Yeah, he's not much of a talker... But he's kind." He reassured the two, but Six wasn't paying attention. She was still upset, and Mono was infatuated with the guy, mostly since, in Six's defense, he did look pretty cool. This was probably only the beginning of a new world for them. These kids, although strange, were a glimmer of hope in the darkness.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>RK is less mysterious than Mono originally thought; they actually get along pretty well...too much for Six's liking apparently.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Just a reminder that this is all my own original story and anything different from the games/comics is intended!</p><p>I gave them names because like, why not?</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     Mono tried to get to know the other kids since they all seemed so nice. Six wasn't exactly trying, but at least she was talking to them. Eventually, when a few hours had passed, most of the kids were napping. Even Six was taking advantage of the cozy fire and getting some rest. Mono, however, was wide awake, wanting to keep watch for the others as a good first impression. And not to mention, RK was keeping him company.</p><p>     Although they weren't talking, he noticed every so often out of the corner of his eye that the kid was staring at him. And every time he tried to catch him in the act, he shriveled up and averted his gaze. But this time around, when he looked at RK, the boy continued peering at him from underneath his low-hanging fringe. "Um, is something wrong? You can talk to me, you know... I'm not scary at all." He inquired invitingly, remaining relaxed since he didn't think RK had bad intentions; he was probably just curious about him.</p><p> </p><p>"You have strange eyes, and skin. You're the unhealthy kind of pale." The kid spoke up, which shocked Mono completely. He hadn't said a word to anyone until now, and he was so astonished that he didn't know how to react to his words.</p><p> </p><p>"I guess...you could say that I'm cursed. But I'm happy, so it's okay." Mono replied with a gentle smile, and for some reason, RK looked away for a moment. Maybe he had triggered him in some way? "Am I really that pale?" He tried to get RK's attention again, and he was pleasantly surprised when the boy moved closer to him and put their hands together to compare their skintones.</p><p> </p><p>"Like a ghost kid." RK remarked sheepishly. He gave Mono a weird vibe, but maybe it was just him being socially awkward like Six. Regardless, it was kind of charming.</p><p> </p><p>They looked at one another quietly for a few seconds, and eventually RK smiled back at Mono, which made him feel much more welcome. However, the moment was ruined almost as quickly as it came. Thick, slimy, black eel-like creatures in a pack came slithering into the room from a hole in the wall. They went for the closest target, which just so happened to be the bandaged kid, and in an instant, she was struggling to breathe, squirming to get them off of her body. The others all woke up in an instant upon hearing her muffled screams.</p><p>Mono didn't know what came over him, but before he knew it he was using his powers to blow the leeches off of her. While she tried to recover, he finished them all off by crushing them. Every time he used his powers with such focus, his body gave off a static, glitched effect, and now, it was no different. Six was staring at him with wide eyes, frozen in place on the ground. She wasn't alone in having this reaction. While the boy in orange and girl in green tended to the bandaged girl's few wounds, the other three kids also looked at him without saying a word.</p><p>He was happy he was able to help the girl in time, and started to ask if she was okay, but before he knew it, he had blacked out and fallen. Thankfully Six caught him and held him.</p><p> </p><p>When he came to moments later, he was immediately overcome with emotion because Six's expression was so distraught. "Mono...are you okay? Your nose is bleeding again." She held him securely, one hand under his head and the other under his back for support.</p><p> </p><p>Blinking away the distortion in his vision, Mono tried to sit up, but failed miserably. "I'm okay, Six. Is the girl...?" He couldn't even finish his question, but there was no need. Six shook her head, not at his words, but moreso to dismiss his talking since he appeared to be in so much pain.</p><p> </p><p>"She's fine, thanks to you." Six sighed in relief and brushed her thumb over Mono's cheek, the scratch from back in the Pale City. He reached up to grab her wrist and smiled warmly, causing her to blush like always. "God, you're so stupid. You seriously scared me." She pouted.</p><p>He finally managed to do as much as lift up with her help, but ended up having to lean on her afterwards anyway. Even if he was in pain, seeing Six act so...Six...gave him butterflies.</p><p> </p><p>"Mono, you—you have psychic abilities?" The boy in orange spoke up, standing and walking over to him. Once he was in front of him, he knelt and looked incredulously at him.</p><p> </p><p>"I—well, I wouldn't call them that. I'm different, but it's not psychic. I mean, uh, you guys can call them whatever. It doesn't really matter." Mono replied anxiously, not wanting to give away any hard details while explaining himself. Although he was so worried about giving a trustworthy answer, the kid in orange suddenly hugged him tightly. He was so stunned that he couldn't move.</p><p> </p><p>"You're a good person... You saved a stranger's life without hesitation and endangered your own in the process." The boy pulled away after getting this off of his chest.</p><p> </p><p>Mono honestly felt like he was going to cry from how happy he was, but he managed a faint grin. "But you're not strangers. I mean, I wish I knew what to call you all, but I trust you guys." He replied reassuringly. He wasn't expecting what happened next, but one by one they all started sharing their nicknames.</p><p>The boy in orange was Ray, the girl he had saved was Eliza, the humpback girl was Sunny, the girl in green was Pippa, and lastly, the boy in green was Guppy. Some of them seemed to be real names, but others were questionable. Mono was still appreciative that they trusted him enough to tell him.</p><p> </p><p>     After things calmed down and the boy in orange went back over to Eliza to make sure her bleeding stopped, Mono wiped his bloody nose on the sleeve of his coat since there really was no better option. When he looked back up, he saw RK approaching he and Six gingerly. The boy was frowning. "I really don't have a name. I've lived here as long as I can remember." He explained his dilemma, but Mono smiled at him regardless and thought of something on the fly.</p><p> </p><p>     "What if we gave you a name? What's your favorite thing ever?" He suggested supportively, watching RK's eyes light up.</p><p> </p><p>     "Um...I like...the stars, and constellations." He answered Mono awkwardly, unsure of what ideas the other had in store for him. "Corvus, Cygnus, Eridanus, Lepus..." He mentioned a few of his favorites.</p><p> </p><p>     Mono hummed in thought, trying to cultivate something both unique and normal at the same time. Before he could say anything, Six randomly muttered: "Rigel is the seventh brightest star in the sky."</p><p> </p><p>     RK nodded affirmatively at her comment. "Seven is my lucky number." He replied with a soft smile, making all the other kids stare in surprise. They had clearly never seen him like this before.</p><p> </p><p>     "Riley is almost an anagram... Ryan? What do you like?" Mono indulged him with a hopeful tone, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder when he noticed he seemed nervous about the decision.</p><p> </p><p>     "I like Riley. It feels like me." RK responded quietly, making eye contact with Mono and tearing up. "Thank you... You are too kind." He expressed his gratitude by giving Mono a big hug, and even made sure to include Six since she helped. When he pulled away, he stood up and looked down at his ankle, being immediately reminded of his fate. "I have to go. We will hopefully see each other again, Ghost Kid." After speaking, he smiled down at Mono shyly. Almost in an instant, he was gone from the hideout.</p><p> </p><p>"Ghost Kid? What is that?" Six raised her eyebrow as she looked at Mono's face of admiration.</p><p> </p><p>Mono shook his head and moved away from Six slightly, feeling bad for leaning on her so much. "It's nothing. Inside joke, you could say..." Even though he was being truthful with her, she seemed annoyed at his response. "What's wrong?" He frowned at her expression, concerned that she was angry at him for some reason.</p><p> </p><p>     Six's face flushed red when he pointed out her obvious displeasure. "N-Nothing..." She averted her gaze, but little did she know it actually helped him figure out why she was acting strange.</p><p> </p><p>     "Mhm..." He rolled his eyes at her blatant lie and pulled her hood down, being only slightly amused when she covered her face. "Six—" he started to comfort her, figuring she was jealous, but before he could speak anymore, she made eye contact with him and fiddled with his coat awkwardly. He figured she was too shy to say anything, so he pulled her into a hug. He wanted her to feel safe and sound, but she never seemed satisfied. Maybe it was the other kids stressing her out, but he still wouldn't let her feelings go unnoticed.</p><p> </p><p>Minutes later when he felt like she had relaxed, he slowly pulled away. He was shocked when she suddenly stood up and looked at him with guilty eyes. "I need to be alone. Don't follow me, or else." She threatened him and then pulled her hood back over her head, walking off with her fists balled up at her sides.</p><p> </p><p>Mono was hurt by her behavior, but he realized he couldn't really complain. She cared about him, but she had her moments, and he wasn't one to judge. When he looked back to the other kids, they were staring at him with caring gazes, especially Ray. "It's okay, I'm used to this. She's kind of a loner." He defended Six's attitude, smiling to make the emotions of defeat melt away.</p><p> </p><p>"Do you like her?" Suddenly Eliza spoke up, holding her wounded arm but not even remotely worrying about her pain in the moment.</p><p> </p><p>"I—well..." He froze as he thought about his feelings. He could easily deny it, but what was the point? Eliza was totally right. And Six wasn't going to hear, so why did he care? "Yeah. She's important to me. Ever since I first saw her, I knew she was special." He admitted his affection for the girl, surprised at himself for not getting embarrassed. "She's scary, but I think it suits her... Just don't tell her I said that. She gets upset when I call her scary."</p><p> </p><p>Eliza giggled briefly and winced because of it, but thankfully Ray was right by her side making sure she was fine. "It may sound crazy, but I think she likes you, too. We girls can just kinda read each other." After making her point, she looked at Pippa, who nodded in agreement, and then to Sunny who did the same. "See?"</p><p> </p><p>Mono felt encouraged by their confidence, but at the same time, could a girl like Six really ever love a boy like him? He was destined to be alone, after all, and she was probably better off without him anyway. "Maybe...I dunno. She's a mystery to me. I know she won't mention it, but she's had a hard upbringing, so there's no telling what goes on in her mind."</p><p> </p><p>"She definitely likes you." To everyone's surprise, Guppy finally said his first words around Mono. He had a lisp because of his missing teeth, but it was honestly adorable. And after he spoke, he went right back to hiding in the shadows of his tattered overcoat. Mono was touched that these new friends of his had this much faith in his relationship with Six. It almost gave him enough courage to go find her, but he refrained since it hadn't been but three minutes since she left. He would tell her how he felt eventually. Find the right time.</p>
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<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Two shocking familiar faces join the group by the fire under a strange circumstance. Will they make or break Six's trust? Or will they all find common ground and keep peace?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     Mono gave Six some space like she wanted, and was happy when she came back to them in the hideout a few hours later. The only concerning thing was that she seemed to have something on her mind, and she wouldn't look at him. He didn't know why until he heard the familiar sound of her stomach growling. She looked like she was about to collapse, so naturally he rushed over to her and helped her sit down by the fire.</p><p> </p><p>"She's starving, we have to do something to help." Eliza, now being patched up and feeling much better, stood up and grabbed Ray's arm, pulling him up off of the ground. "Let's go find something for her to eat. We owe it to Mono."</p><p> </p><p>Ray didn't let her drag him very far before he stopped. "El, I really think you should stay here. What if you start feeling bad?" After putting his foot down, playing the part of leader like he was used to by now, he forced the girl to sit back down; he was gentle with her since she was still injured. "Mono, you want to help me?" He turned back to the boy, watching as he comforted Six by hugging her to his body.</p><p> </p><p>He blinked in surprise at the suggestion and let go of Six, figuring she would be okay for a while without him. Right as he tried to stand, however, she clung to his coattail and stared up at him with drowsy eyes. "Hey, it's okay." He turned around to face her and held her hands tightly. "We won't be long. And I'm sure the girls...and Guppy...will keep you safe." He reassured her and let go of her hands so he could take his coat off, giving it to her so she could pretend he was here.</p><p>     When he saw Six clutching his coat in her hands securely, he turned to Ray and walked with him to the hideout entrance, slipping outside. Now that they were alone, he felt like he had a weight lifted off of his shoulders. He loved being with Six and of course he wanted to comfort her, but he felt more confident being able to actually help her. He was just glad he could get some time with Ray, regardless. He was a pretty intriguing character.</p><p>     "If you don't mind me asking...what's up with you and Eliza? Do you like her?" He tried to make conversation, not because he felt awkward, but because it was dark, and he was scared. He should've asked Six for her lighter, but it slipped his mind.</p><p> </p><p>     Ray glanced at Mono with a sheepish smile, shaking his head at his question. "It's different with her. You see...she reminds me of my little sister. I lost her to a strange force...the North Wind or something. We got separated and then the ferryman told me that my sister was taken by it, whatever <em>it</em> is." He paused, taking a deep breath. "I really want to protect El. She's my second chance at being a good big brother." He explained his tragic past quietly, but soulfully, and just from this conversation alone, Mono could tell this kid was something else; he was truly a kind, selfless person.</p><p> </p><p>     Mono put a supportive hand on Ray's shoulder and squeezed to give him a bit of encouragement. "I'm an only child, but I wouldn't mind someone like you being my brother. You're probably the sweetest kid I've ever met." He replied with a small smile, but his mood was quickly tarnished; they stumbled upon two girls who were completely soaked and passed out. One of them had a long braid of brown hair and a tattered beige dress, whereas the other wore a sophisticated dress and high ponytail—attire that was more or less deteriorated.</p><p>     He was worried about Six, but he knew these kids would freeze to death if they didn't warm up fast. So, with a knowing look to Ray, they helped the girls up. They hadn't been gone long from the group, but the walk back took much longer with extra weight to carry.</p><p>     When they arrived back at the hideout with the two sickly kids, they quickly set them down by the fire. In this light, Mono had a much better view of them, and he realized he knew one of them. It was Ms. Anne's daughter! He hadn't seen her in ages... And he thought she was dead because of Six's story. It was a relief to see her alive, regardless of how bad she might have been.</p><p>     "Six, look who we found—isn't this a crazy coincidence?" He walked over to the girl as he spoke, kneeling next to her to get her attention. "You know that girl, right? Wasn't she the one you were telling me about?"</p><p> </p><p>     Six slowly lifted her head from her knees and blinked away the blurriness in her vision, focusing on the two girls Mono had mentioned. When she finally came to, she realized that Mono was right. She knew both of them! Why were they together when they literally almost killed each other? They trusted each other? "I thought they were dead... They didn't come up from the water, so I left the island." After explaining herself, she gave Mono his coat back and then stood up, her body trembling and legs shaking.</p><p>     She could barely keep her balance, but she took her yellow raincoat off and trudged over to the two girls, putting the coat on the brunette girl. It belonged to her, and it was the right thing to do. "She helped me escape... I'm glad she found a way to survive somehow." She spoke with a weak voice, wiping her forehead underneath her bangs since she had cold sweats. When she stood back up, she was thankful Mono was there, because she almost fell.</p><p> </p><p>Before they could walk away from the girls together, the Pretender, or so she was called back at The Nest, woke up in a coughing fit, spitting up water and nearly choking in the process. She shook from the cold, and the shock, and when she got the strength to lift herself up, she immediately exploited the fire in the room.</p><p>Six glared at her and clenched his fist angrily, prepared to punch her in the face until she backed away in fear and looked up at her with dejected eyes. "D-Don't hit me, please! I know, okay? You're the girl that my servants imprisoned...but honest, you must believe that I had no control over that!" She was frantic in her de-escalation, which was ironic, but her words seemed to satiate Six for the time being. "M-Me and Veronica, we—we've been traveling together since that day. We're friends now. Don't you get it?" She partially hid behind the other girl, whose name was apparently Veronica.</p><p>After a moment of silence, she started to calm down since Six had lowered her fist, and she took a moment to look around the room at the other faces. One in particular caught her eye. "Mono? Is that you?" She asked curiously, causing the boy to walk closer to her with Six and sit down. "It really is, isn't it? How is the city? Is my mother—"</p><p> </p><p>"Ms. Anne is going through a hard time, but she's alive. The city...could be a lot better." After answering her rapid questions, he watched her sigh in relief and smiled gingerly, wanting her to feel welcome. "Don't worry. I'm sure Six will give you a second chance. Right, Six?" He turned his head suspiciously, anxious of the girl acting up again.</p><p> </p><p>"Ugh, fine. But only because Mono wants me to. You're dead meat if you try anything sketchy." Six threatened the girl and played with her lighter, flicking her thumb over the fuel so she could get her message across.</p><p> </p><p>The silver-haired girl frowned and looked at the fire, trying to warm herself. She looked to be on the verge of tears, or maybe she was just nervous about Six's attitude. "I know I've hurt people, but she's made me see things differently. I've changed over the past few months, I promise." She spoke sorrowfully, mostly to herself but seemingly in hopes of making herself more trustworthy.</p><p>Although she was upset, she was completely reassured when the girl next to her woke up and sneezed, clinging to her arm lovingly. "Veronica, are you okay?" She asked urgently, flushing from how touchy the girl was being.</p><p> </p><p>"Pretty... I thought you were dead." She sniffled, tears streaming down her face. "When you went overboard...I didn't know what to do. I'm so happy you're okay." She was bawling her eyes out, the poor kid, and everyone in the room watched her with sympathetic eyes, even Six.</p><p> </p><p>     The girl, known as the Pretender, was holding Veronica tight in her arms, feeling secondhand stress from hearing her worries. The brunette had been calling her 'Pretty' for as long as they'd been working together, and quite frankly, it was so cute that she didn't stop her or ever tell her what her real name was; Her real name, that pretty much only Mono knew, which was Pericia, but her friends in school used to call her Perry since it was a different language. Mono was confused at the nickname 'Pretty' since he knew her real name, but he decided to keep quiet about it.</p><p>     Perry waited for Veronica to stop crying and then pulled away from her a bit, wiping the tears from her face and fixing her hair. "You tried to save me, and you could've gotten yourself killed..." Before scolding Veronica, she decided to take another approach since they were still in shock. "An old...um...friend of mine found us, so we'll be okay. Don't be scared." She reassured the girl with the long braid, scratching her head comfortingly since she loved affection.</p><p> </p><p>Veronica sniffled and nodded at Perry's reassurance, but she became easily distracted as she saw Six out of the corner of her eye. "Hey, it's you! From the Nest! What the heck are you doing here?" She stood up and stumbled as she made her way over to Six, eventually attacking the girl in a very relaxing hug. "I missed you! You were so freakin cool when we met, but you wouldn't even talk to me!" She smiled brightly, pulling away to look at Six's touched expression.</p><p> </p><p>"Y-Yeah...sorry about that. I'm not really a people person. But you're really sweet." The short-haired girl replied, reaching out with shaky hands to comfort Veronica with pats on her shoulders. "My name is Six, by the way...and this is my friend, Mono." She motioned over to the pale boy, making eye contact with him in the process and averting her gaze abruptly because of it. She would never tell him, but...she'd overheard everything he said about her earlier, and was pretending it never happened. It was increasingly difficult the longer they were in the same room, however.</p><p> </p><p>"Is it okay if I call you Sasha? It's such a fitting name for you!" Veronica boasted with a faint giggle, holding Six's hands to help her warm up to her presence.</p><p> </p><p>Six blinked in astonishment at the girl's question and anxiously retracted, her face burning up because of the bluntness. "Um...but that's not my name..." She responded sheepishly, feeling pressured because of their closeness. She didn't know how she could ever refuse Veronica when she was so adorable...and extremely overbearing. "Fine, I guess..." After agreeing, the brunette clung to her once again, and she didn't know what to do with her hands. This whole situation was just so awkward, but she forced herself to hug back, and soon enough, she learned to appreciate the feeling. Nobody had ever acted this way towards her in her life... Mono was much different, so this was just new for her altogether. Her heart was aching from how happy she was, and she had completely forgotten about how hungry she was only moments ago.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I got the name idea for RCG from an instagram artist @buskets_doodle</p>
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